Roger, the Jolly Pirate

by Brett Helquist

Roger is too jolly to be a pirate. He does not scowl, growl, or strike fear into sailors' hearts like his pirate friends. So poor Roger is sent away whenever there is any real pirating to be done. Then one day, in the middle of a great battle, Jolly Roger cooks up a wonderful idea . . . and pirate ships will never be the same again!

Genres: Picture Books, Pirates, Childrens, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Storytime

40 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Brett Helquist has illustrated many books for children, including the Series of Unfortunate Events books. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, and silly tale of how the famous Jolly Roger flag came to be.

Helquist's illustrations are terrific.

[Jamie L.]

Text-To Teaching
“Roger, The Jolly Pirate” is a whimsical rendition of how pirates formed the noteworthy design of their Skull and Crossbones Flag, every Pirate Ship flew. The teaching connection can be at multiple primary grade levels. The whimsicalness and imaginary story- line are fun for all ages. Roger, the Jolly Pirate, is a docile and noncombative pirate which inconveniencies and troubles the other pirates on board the ship. He is also not a part of the comradery or liked. As the only worthy enemy of the pirates, the Admiral vowed to take the pirates down for stealing from merchant ships on the seas. The Admiral attacked the pirate ship and of course “Roger” was sent below. He wants to make everyone happy. He begins to bake a cake with what he thought was a cast iron skillet. It was not! The skillet turns into a cannon. He lights the wick and BOOM!! Roger covered in flour, chocolate, and other ingredients look like a ghost and scare the Admiral and his soldiers off the boat. The other pirates shouted with delight and honored Roger with a flag of Skull and Crossbones for his help. Cute read.

[↜ƈɦǟռ☂ɛℓℓɛ↝ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny story about a bad pirate

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to have a tale explaining how the famous pirate flag got its name.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute and fun book that gives a fictional origin to the Jolly Roger pirate flag. The writing is fun, the pacing is just right, and I love the art. I also love the bonus song at the end, which is sung to the tune of Drunken Sailor (one of my favorite sea shanties).

I did find it funny that the book makes you want to cheer for the pirates (it even called them brave at one point), even as it mentions the pirates are the terror of the seas. Doesn't take away my enjoyment of the book, though.

Also, I just have to mention it again, I LOVE the art style. It fits the story well and I wish the story was longer just so I had more art to look at.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

A funny story about how the skull and crossbone flag came to be.

Ages: 4 - 8

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[Logan Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a very fun book to read. It puts an amusing spin on pirates which I feel may grab the attention of some students. I would likely use this book as a fun reading time book. This book made me think about flags. I think it might be fun to read this and talk about what a flag may represent. I could then lead an art project where I have students create their own flags. We could then have a parade or maybe it could be part of an Olympic learning "competition."

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger was a pirate but he wasn't like the other pirates. He was jolly and wanted them to like him, so he wasn't mean and terrifying like the others. During a battle on the ship (and Jolly Roger was sent below decks, as usual) he came up with an idea to make them like him. Problem was - it didn't go as planned, but it changed the look of pirate ships forever after that.
Amusing story with great illustrations.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger was unlike other pirates. He was a jolly one, never scowling or growling. He sang sea shanties and told yarns. Roger was always sent into the hold of the ship when it was time for real pirating to happen. It was during a fierce battle with the Queen's navy that Roger, while in the hold, did something that made him a legend.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger the jolly pirate
By Brett Helquist

What an interesting twist on the old story. I could have happened that way.. makes light of the traditional pirate flag.. but as a children's book it holds their interest.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on the origins of the Jolly Roger flag used by pirates.

[Mellanie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very cool.

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fictional re-telling of how the Jolly Roger came to be. Roger is a fun-loving pirate who finds a way (purely on accident) to scare an enemy ship away. Fun for elementary-age kids.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one my children have grown up with. Such a cute one!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great How-It-Came-To-Be story about the Jolly Roger pirate flag.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny book about a pirate who doesn't fit in.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story (not real) about the invention of the pirate flag, with bonus song (sing to the tune of "What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor").

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictional tale of “Jolly Roger”, who is jolly rather than fierce, but mistakenly wins a battle and has the pirate flag named after him. Fun little song in the back of the book, too.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed that the story has no foundation in fact.

[Shannon]

Ocean / Pirate Storytime

[Amy Seto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Black Beard and Long John Silver there was a pirate named Roger. Unfortunately, he was a terrible pirate. He was clumsy and forgetful. He didn’t scowl he smiled and he didn’t growl he grinned. The other pirates called him Jolly Roger and it wasn’t a term of endearment. One fateful day the pirates are attacked by the fearless Admiral. As usual Roger is told to stay in the ship’s hold until the fighting is done. Roger wants so badly to make the other pirates like him, so he decides to bake a cake! He finds a big iron pot (that looks suspiciously like a cannon) and fills it with everything he can find (did I mention that Roger wasn’t a very good cook either?) and then he lights the handy wick attached to the pot (what could be more convenient?) and waits for it to bake. Up on deck, the pirates are close to surrendering when there’s a huge explosion and Roger, covered with soot and flour, is thrown out of the hold like a flying apparition! The Admiral and his men abandon ship and Jolly Roger is now a hero among his shipmates. He’s still a lousy pirate, but his shipmates don’t care. They even make a special flag in his honor – the Jolly Roger.

The text, written in third person, is great for reading out loud and includes new vocabulary words, such as “justice,” “terror,” “surrender,” “scowl,” and “vessel.” The pace is brisk and readers will be invested in Roger’s desire to be liked by his shipmates. The illustrations, which seem to be a combination of painting and hand drawn linework, are detailed and precise. Most of the book takes place on the pirate ship out at sea and Helquist takes full advantage of the clouds, sky, and water in his compositions. Make sure to check out the gorgeous endpapers, which features the pirate ship at full sail. Helquist also includes the lyrics and sheet music for The Ballad of Jolly Roger on the back papers. The six kid-friendly verses, sung to the tune of What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor?, tell the story of Roger’s heroic act.

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2...

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up I read The Series of Unfortunate Events all day long. Those were the books that I used to get complaints about because I would zone everyone out and just read. That series introduced me to the art of Brett Helquist whose distinct style and command of the page through his illustrations made me fall for Roger's story.

The story itself was short and sweet. As sweet as a pirate story can be... Roger is just too jolly to be a pirate and isn't really seen as one by his fellow crew mates. Roger figures out a way to try to prove himself. While nothing went according to plan, Roger was able to find a way to gain his friend's respect. In turn his fellow pirates found a way to thank him by making him infamous in the pages of history.

A great story for pirate enthusiasts - Roger, the Jolly Pirate had wonderful illustrations that are sure to capture anyone's attention. I will always be ecstatic to read and view Helquist's books especially his illustrations.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Developed character Brett Helquist, illustrator for Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, sets sail with this swashbuckling picture book about a positive-thinking pirate. Captured in dramatic scenes of patch-eyed, stern-looking pirates always ready for fighting, Helquist's tale centers around Roger, a "lousy pirate" whose chipper demeanor means banishment below deck when there's pillaging to be done. So when justice-seeking British officers decide to overtake the ship, the aptly named "Jolly Roger" decides to help out in the only way he knows how -- to bake a cake. Unfortunately, Roger's iron pot is actually a cannon, and when he lights the wick to get the baking started, the exploding ingredients send a flour-and-soot-faced Roger into battle and the Brits jumping for safety.

[Elizabeth Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helquist, Brett. Roger the Jolly Pirate. Illus. Brett Helquist. United States: 2004. Print. Pirates-fiction, humorous stories, ages 3-8. This short story depicts the life of a pirate named Roger. He isn’t the stereotypical pirate and because of this his shipmates won’t let him fight or look for treasure. One day while the pirates are fighting the Admiral and his crew Roger saves the day in an unexpected way, causing his crew to gain respect for him. I think that this book could be good when teaching young children about the history of pirates sailing the seas. The illustrations made by Helquist are easy able to depict the events of the story and much more helping children imagine the story events in detail. Reading this book to young children can help teach that sometimes people around them are different but they still have much to offer.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger loved being a pirate, but he was a very lousy pirate. All of his shipmates would call him “jolly”, which was an insult, because he was not very good at being and doing the things that pirates do. He smiled instead of scowled, grinned instead of growled, and sang happy songs instead of dismal ones. One day when their ship was under attack, Roger was sent below. While below he found himself into mischief, but ended up being helpful in the end. The ending was a surprise and children would really love it.
The illustrations of this story were wonderful. Brett Helquist did a wonderful job on his first book that he wrote and illustrated.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little story about a pirate named Roger who was universally disliked by the other members of the crew because he was too jolly. Whenever real pirate-y business needed to be done, they'd send him below decks so he wouldn't get in the way. Roger is sad about not being liked and comes up with an idea (baking a cake) to get everyone to like him. Instead, his culinary attempt not only saves the crew, it inspires the Jolly Roger flag flown by pirates everywhere.

Excellent illustrations.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another "it's okay to be different" pirate book. At storytime, I've found that kids most enjoy his attempt at making the cake and the subsequent explosion. I like the song in the back, because it recalls the events of the book and is a perfect way to practice narrative skills with preschoolers, and it's to the catchy tune of "What would you do with a drunken sailor?" Also, I adore Brett Helquist, I just love his illustrations.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is kind of a wild book for Brett Helquist and I really liked it. I'm not sure if this has any factual connection to anything, but it's still a funny story of a hapless pirate and it does mention the dreaded Jolly Roger flag that and includes a song based on an old sea shanty at the end. The illustrations are very distinctive and pleasant. It's an all together fun story.

[Ham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recognized Brett's work from Series of Unfortunate Events and was surprised to find his fiction is nearly as good as his illustrations. This was a simple story, but kept me (and my kids) engaged. I'm still trying to find out how much of it is true. If this one's not, then I need someone to explain to me why the pirate flag is called the Jolly Roger.
Please, anybody?

[Nashiea Edmiston · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent choice for teachers looking for a mentor text about historical fiction for the early elementary grades and need to cover pirates. This book is about a pirate who is jolly, which makes him not like the other pirates. Well-written, fast-paced, vibrant illustrations, this book is a must for your pirate-themed lesson.