The Night Pirates

by Peter Harris, Deborah Allwright (Illustrator)

A perfectly pitched, irresistibly charming read-aloud picture book for the youngest pirate enthusiasts!

"Down, down, down the dark, dark street they came. Up, up, up the dark, dark house they climbed. Stealthy as shadows, quiet as mice. Only the moon was watching when they arrived. Only the moon was watching when they left. Only the moon & one little boy."

Tom is awoken by a band of rough, tough little girl pirates, so what does he do? He joins their ranks! Together they set sail in search of treasure. But what will happen when they meet a crew of rough, tough grown-up pirates? Readers will be swept up in the spare, jaunty text, & quirky illustrations in this unexpected bedtime adventure.

Genres: Picture Books, Pirates, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, Storytime, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

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There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Reviews

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reception book of the week.

[Sam Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Night Pirates is a children’s adventure book about some brave little girl pirates that take a young boy called Tom (along with the front of his house) on a mission to steal the treasure of some ‘really, tough grown-up’ pirates.

The story is captivating. The use of rhyme, alliteration and atmospheric illustrations build the suspense and excitement. The words are cleverly placed in patterns across each page which add to the drama and carry you along on the adventure. Different sized text is used to indicate different volumes and voices and leads you to whisper and roar along with the characters in the story.

This has been one of my 3 year old son’s favourite books for the last year. He loves reading the words aloud with me and putting on a grumpy voice for the fierce Captain Patch when he curses "If you don't give me my treasure back, I'll tell my MUM!". He still gasps at every twist and turn. The book has spurred his fascination with pirates and has led to us dressing up, making maps and undertaking treasure hunts around the house and even visiting a pirate exhibition.

I can imagine using this book for a reception or Year 1 class – reading the book aloud, asking the children to draw their own pirates, create a storyboard of parts of the story and as a class writing our own version of the story. For a Year 2 class, the book could be used to encourage children to write poetry using alliteration and lots of adjectives. The fun theme of the book could be used to develop other curricular subjects, like learning about famous pirates in history. For maths and geography, treasure maps could be used to help children learn about directions and co-ordinates and they could create their own treasure map using ICT.

I think that every child will love this book and that it could make a fantastic teaching resource.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

As kids' picture books go, The Night Pirates is right up there with Where the Wild Things Are, The Sneetches and Stone Soup as one of my all-time faves.

The art is beautiful, GIRLS can be Pirates (how's that for crazy?!), the writing is perfectly suited to oral delivery, and there is NO violence. The closest we come is a big, bad Pirate Master threatening to sic his Mom on those who take his treasure.

It is wonderful. Read it to your kids, then have them read it to you. I guarantee (figuratively) that you will love it.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations! They were so warm for a book set at night. The mix of different medias was lovely -- I was especially fond of the graph paper houses. And I loved the fact that the pirates were little girls (who didn't exclude Tom for being a boy, which is a Good Lesson to throw in), and the baddies were the rough, tough, grown-up pirates. I liked the placement of the text on the page, the changes in the size, and the different fonts for certain words like "Captain Patch" and "girl pirates" (although that might make reading along difficult for younger children). The ending was great! Poor postman. :))

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little book wakes one night to find the front of his house being stolen by pirates . . . little girl pirates to be exact. Why would a band of female pirates want a building facade, you may well ask, AND, you may well ask - but I'm not going to tell you as that would ruin the delightful surprise of this book.



A veritable treasure for buccaneers and landlubbers alike.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely charming.

[Ben Hagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for KS1 as it has repetitive, descriptive language and an easy to understand plot which mildly promotes gender equality. The book coincides well with Pie Corbett's T4L scheme as the children are able to imitate, innovate and invent the book very easily with supervision from the Teacher. I used this book during SBT 1 with the poem 'If I was a Pirate' by Josh Gill and the chn really enjoyed it.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4 year old niece, Daisy and I have been having a bit of a pirate themed day. We went on a treasure hunt around the house earlier, and she now has a chest full of treasure, so this was a fun book to read to her.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the night, Tom awakens to some noises. Turns out some girl pirates are stealing his house. He does the logical thing, and joins them on their adventure.

A fun nighttime story about pirates. And girl pirates at that. Fun illustrations with rhyming text make it a good read aloud for little ones.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice pirate story for all-ages. The illustrations are a mix of different medium: collage, pencil and paint, I believe. I like that the pirates are girls and allow the boy to play with them. Fun for preK and up.

[Sabera · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Up up up the dark house they climbed…Stealthy as shadows, quiet as mice…Rough, tough little girl pirates!” The Night Pirates is unlike any other pirate story, primarily as the pirates are not the coarse, burly men we know of as pirates. But instead little girls that come to take Tom away on an adventure during the night!

The story begins with the pirates quietly coming down the street and climbing into Tom’s house before taking him off onto an adventure aboard a house-shaped pirate ship. Here he is taken to an island where Captain Patch and his fellow grown-up pirates lay snoozing around a treasure chest. Tom waves across the waters to Captain Patch who tries, but fails, to awake his fellow pirates as he is stunned by the house sailing towards him. Tom and the girl pirates leap out at Captain Patch and his crew however their tremendous roar frightens the pirates away leaving Tom and the girl pirates to steal away their treasure. All this ensues with only the moon as witness to Tom’s great adventure!

The Night Pirates is a great book to share with KS1 as the words illustrations are easy to follow. Also, it is a book that can cater to not only boys’ love of pirates but also to the little girls that may have a little girl pirate hidden within them!

Many activities can be centred on this book from role play as key characters within the book to hot-seating to find out what a character may be feeling at a specific point in the book. Also, art activities could also be focussed around creating pirate hats, treasure chests and even masks that portray Tom or the pirates. As a basis for writing, The Night Pirates could be used to support recount writing such as a diary entry from Tom’s point of view on his adventure or even as one of the adults pirates after losing their treasure. Whilst it can be enjoyed as an independent read, this is definitely one of those books that would be enjoyed immensely as a whole class read, particularly if read with expression.

The Night Pirates is one of the lesser known children’s books within schools but definitely one that can be enjoyed not only by little children but also adults, as Peter Harris and Deborah Allright write in a manner that is engaging for all.

[Keshia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read for a KS1 whole class read. Harris captures childrens imaginations cleverly and challenges the normal bounds of pirate stories by having the pirates as girls. The idea of dreams is cleverly conveyed allowing children to begin to look at inference within books and wider meaning. The layout and illustrations within the book work perfectly to capture and engage its audience. Finally the book allows for children to experiment reading with plenty of expression and changing voices to suit characters. This book was well received and loved by my year 1 class and I would recommend it as an exciting read for any year group within KS1.

[Aleha Begum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book with a fun, adventurous story. The illustrations are great and children seem to get lost in them.

The story has poetic repetition and highlighted words that are a great learning tool. I recommend this book for both boys and girls as it has girl pirates!

I read this book to a year 1 class and was a focus book for the theme on fantasy stories. The children really enjoyed this story and it was great for children to act out actions and do role plays. The role play area was designed to be a pirate ship and the children loved it.

[Cai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom joins a band of pirates that wakes him up in the middle of the night. As he joins them, they go on grand adventure.

We just discovered Bookaboo and this was the first episode we watched. Absolutely fantastic that these books are read in this show. This book was clever and funny! I loved the worst curse a pirate could utter.

V @ 5 months old.

[Makenna Teague]

Despite the fact that he is "only a boy," Tom convinces the band of rough, tough, little girl pirates who have come to steal the front of his house to let him join in their adventures.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little boy is visited in the night by a ship full of little girl pirates. How cool is that?

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic story told very visually, with the text thoughtfully laid out across the page. Occasionally rhyming with lots of rhythm throughout the book. The text also tells you how to read the story, with changing font sizes for creeping quietly or shouting loudly and words close together or far apart for dramatic effect.

The pictures within the book really tell the story, you truly feel as though you are on the adventure with Tom, seeing things from his perspective. When they arrive at the island with the adult pirates, the pirates are at the forefront of the page to give you the daunting feeling of the danger Tom and his girl pirates are in on the mission to steal the treasure.

In order to understand this book, children need to understand what bravery is and in what situations it is required. Children will also need to understand what pirates are to understand the relevance of stealing the treasure. This book really changes the stereotypes of pirates only being male by involving girl pirates which helps children to see that it doesn't matter who you are, you can be whatever you want to be. Furthermore, the girls manage to steal the treasure from the adults; children may think that adults are smarter than children, however this book challenges that by the girl pirates and Tom being successful in stealing the treasure.

All in all, this book is a fantastic adventure story, truly demonstrating the wonderful imagination of children and how successful they can be if they put their mind the something.

[Patricia Timbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some kids think BIG. Some kids talk even BIGGER. And some kids, like Tom, imagine BIGGEST of all. And so begins THE NIGHT PIRATES, a bedtime adventure of a little boy's playful imagination without limitations: His room becomes a ship, and on his ship are a girl crew and girl Captain, and with Tom permitted aboard, together they set sail for a far-away, unknown island. There they find rugged Captain Patch, his rough/tough band of pirates, and their recently found treasure chest, which Tom's crew steals, and with which they quickly sail away.  The artist's humorous-looking characters and full-page illustrations distance the reader between the real world and the imagined island world, and generate the story's heartbeat. In the end, Tom is carried back home, into his room, settles into bed, and falls asleep. But, on the final page, the illustration and the text cast a question mark around Tom's imaginary adventure, a "change-up" that will put a smile on every reader's and listener's faces. 

Children's books, like treasure chests that are laden with gold, or gems, or jewels, have their own hidden treasures, not only for kids; but, for adults, as well--treasures such as wisdom; or the treasure of facts; or jewels of love, or helping, or learning to be oneself. In THE NIGHT PIRATES is buried one of life's richest treasures: the gem of creativity through imagination. 

Rating: 4 Stars

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story tells the tale of a little boy called Tom who goes on an adventure with some little girl pirates. During their adventure they are able to use their pirating and teamwork skills to steal some treasure from adult pirates. After they are successful on their mission it is time for Tom to return back to his bed where no one ever finds out about his secret adventure.

This book it aimed at KS1 students. It is a good topic book that could be used at the end of a lesson if the children were learning about pirates and what a stereotypical pirate would do. The children would probably be able to relate to this story more as the pirates are child pirates rather than adult ones.

I enjoy this book as it's short but allows the children to be taken on an adventure through the night. It also doesn't stick to the stereotype that just boys are pirates as all the child pirates are girls (apart from Tom).

[Imaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was clear and creative, I enjoyed the images of the different types of pirates. When reading the book to the children, it provided the opportunity for the children to describe the characters appearance and what they could be feeling. I liked that the book expressed that pirates can be girls and boys and girls can be ”rough” and ”tough.” I thought it was nice that the leader of the crew was a girl pirate and from this I felt that the message sent throughout the book was that girls and boys can be anything, taking away gender stereotypes and perceptions of what boys and girls should or cant do.

[Emily Moss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of a little boy’s journey in the night time with a bunch of pirates. It seems that he is dreaming this journey but at the end of the story it questions this. The story rejects the normal male pirate stereotype as all the visiting pirates are little girls, this could be something interesting to explore. The illustrations are full of different colours, textures and patterns, some almost collage-like and provide plenty to analyse.

[Nadina · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. The combination of artwork and pop-up is beautiful. The way the text was laid out and the arrangement and sizing of the font was great. This was a stunning book, even though it was short.
2. The story itself was fabulous. I loved the concept of this boy going on a trip with pirate girls. He was the lone boy joining this crew of girls. The plot and pace were great. I absolutely loved this book.

[Bryony Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book that encourages you to turn the book itself around and play with the form. The fun font sizes and irregular positioning of words adds excitement and enjoyment to this tale which defies stereotypes, as a little boy joins the girl pirates to defeat the grown ups, a victory that is sure to please all young readers.

[Meliss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this book so many times I can recite it on command. I love those feminist and inclusive little baddies. Tom catches sight of them stealing the front of his house for disguise and they allow him to join their girl gang for the night while they go make some grown men cry. They put the front of his house back upside down as a final act of rebellion.

[Adriana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐ (2.5/3)
Little girl pirates!? What are they doing with the front of Tom's house? Do they let Tom join their pirate crew?

Highlights: Inclusive. Quirky adventure with playful text positions.

Lowlights: Shiny cover but no shiny pages. Little children steal treasure from grown men.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a crew of rough, tough, little girl pirates come in the night to steal the front of Tom’s house as a disguise, brave Tom joins in the adventure as they raid the treasure of some not so rough, tough, grownup pirates in this delightfully funny adventure.

[Jessiclees · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book doesn’t really know what it wants to be. Sometimes it rhymes and sometimes it doesn’t which makes it quite hard to read to a child because you don’t know where to put the emphasis.

I also don’t like the ‘girl’ pirates. They can just be pirates who happen to be girls.

I was tempted to give it 1 star, but my daughter likes it and this is who it is aimed at, not me.

[Marcia Van Camp]

I appreciate that the pirates were girls, but it felt weird that they kept saying “girl pirates.” Just they’re pirates and use names and art to get the point across. It’s like doctor vs female doctor, because the assumption is that doctor means male.

[The Library Mouse Tales · Rating 4 out of 5]

One night, Tom is hears noises. He peeps out of the window and discovers GIRL PIRATES stealing the front of his house! Tom joins them on an adventure to where they plan to steal the treasure of the grown-up pirates! This adventure story is fun to read-aloud and entertaining for both boys and girls.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my absolute favourite picture books for children... Having read it hundreds of times for my kids it still never gets old.
A boy named Tom gets to embark on an adventure with a group of Girl Pirates....
It is beautifully written and illustrated. A must for every child's book shelf.