The Pirates Next Door Hardcover – Picture Book, February 28, 2012

The book's written in fun rhyme. The artwork is full page and beautiful. We like to find the skulls and other "Easter eggs" on each page. There's one moment of great irony on one page in the artwork that took us forever to notice. The story is so good. But be sure to really notice what's going on in the artwork! Such a great book for kids (and their grown ups)!

My boys LOVE this book and so do I! Beautiful and engaging illustrations along with a fun rhyming text- an overall win!!! Going to check out the rest of the titles by this author!

This was the first of Jonny Duddle's pirate books that I read and is now one of my favorite pirate books to read my son. A family of Pirates, including a young boy, move into a small town temporarily and the boy befriends the little girl next door. She has no bias towards him and is excited about learning all of the unique and exotic things about him and his family. The rest of the neighbors are pretty awful and judgmental, all because the Jolley-Rogers are different. The Pirates leave behind gifts for everyone, in hopes that they will think more highly of their kind the next time they encounter them.I am someone who very thoroughly believes in the importance of being oneself and celebrating the things that make you who you are, especially if you are different or weird. So this book struck a chord with me. I really enjoyed how it portrayed the characters, making it clear that Tilda, the girl, was the one with an appropriate attitude and that the other neighbors were shallow and jumping to poor conclusions, but in a way that is still enjoyable to read. I think it's a great "teaching" book.The art is just fantastic and springs from the page. The colors and details are wonderful. There is also a foldout section towards the end that adds a nice touch to the enjoyment of the story.This is written in rhyme and the flow and rhythm is so much fun to read aloud. There is a lot of great "pirate speak" and the voices of all of the characters are a joy to ham up to kids. This and The Pirate Cruncher are new favorites that I know will be getting a lot of attention at bedtime.

I purchased this book as a companion to a pirate-themed game I use in speech-language therapy with preschool/K children. This book has adorable, vibrant illustrations, and PART of the story is a wonderful message. An open-minded little girl befriends an 'un-like her' pirate boy who moves in next door, in spite of the resistance of gossipy, set-in-their-ways neighbors and community members. SPOILER ALERT: The pirates eventually fix their ship and raise anchor. The pirates, as a gesture of good will, leave buried treasure in the yards of those who treated them badly. (The pirate boy says they are treated this way wherever they go, and this is what they do every time). The neighbors are pictured, not showing their remorse, reflecting, and admitting their guilt, but cradling their new found wealth and exclaiming that they had ALWAYS liked and welcomed the pirates. The little girl is seen sitting alone by the ocean, fishing for messages in bottles from her pirate friend. I understand this can facilitate some very good conversations, but often children aren't in the mood to participate in deep philosophical debates just before nap time. With only a few alterations to the text, the community members could see the error of their ways and the actions our little heroine would be validated. I'm not sure what message the author intended...but it seems like 'stick to your beliefs and do the right thing, but the bad guys will come out on top anyway, and the folks who are different from us just need to keep moving on and trying to prove themselves' Hmmm...

Great pictures. Big book. Nice flip outs. And my grandson could not wait to read it.

Johnny Duddle pirate books are fun. The rhyming is really good. The words and illustrations take you into a pirates world. The reading got a bit tiresome of the neighbor's gab, but afterwards the young pirate boy gives an unexpected surprise to the readers. The lesson in this book is simple but adults sure could take notes and remember to zip the li more often.

Love books in rhyme. The idea of pirates moving into your neighborhood is so crazy and the cold reception they receive would be predictable. It's such a clever and sensitive way to teach "never judging a book by its cover". Bought for a seven year old boy.

Such fun! We got a big kick out of this wonderfully illustrated, well told story. It’s a tale about a neighborhood that gets really nervous when a family of pirates moves in, and the discovery each neighbor makes when they realize they’ve been given something rare and meaningful... very cool book!

My 5yo loved the story and the pictures. Has been reading it in his own time now that he is learning to read

It's okay. The story is quite nice but seems very lengthy so I'm not sure a very small child would continue to concentrate. The pictures are lovely. I would say more for an emerging reader.

My toddler boy loved it. We all didI highly reccend it

It’s a nice read. Ideal for 4-5 years old. I love the graphics and that’s one of the things that sets it’s apart.The story also has a morale and gets the little ones thinking. It should definetly be in your 4 year olds collection.

My grandson enjoyed this story and the pictures kept him engrossed.