When I Was a Pirate – Tom Silson and Ewa Poklewska-Koziełło

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When I Was a Pirate Swashbuckling Fun

Swashbuckling fun – an ode from a grandpa to his grandchildren. The thrill of imaginative play oozes from When I Was a Pirate by Tom Silson and Ewa Poklewska-Koziełło.

Flying Eye Dreamy Hardbacks

I adore the work of the design team at Flying Eye Books they really know how to give books incredible cover appeal.

The hardback edition of When I Was a Pirate is a joy to hold with textured, vibrant images on the front and a canvas spine; it’s a sensory seekers feast.

When I Was a Pirate

Grandpa tells his tales of being a pirate on the turbulent seas to his grandchildren and how they are now the pirates on their own adventures.

Tom and Ewa’s imaginations have gone wild and I’m sure your children will want to get straight into role playing after reading.

A lovely, mythical story with dragons and mermaids that very much shows the cherished bond between generations.

Fabulously Rich Text

Tom’s lyrical text has a rhythm of a traditional sea shanty and you certainly feel lulled in the waves of his story.

There’s lots of vocabulary to excite young readers. My daughter (Floss) particularly loved thunderous, howling, swirling, snaked and ‘cruised cosmic currents’.

Wonderful Illustrations

The illustrations have a wow and wonder feel. They are gorgeously rich and Floss adored all the patterns that Ewa uses to bring texture and a dynamic feel to the spreads.

As a cat lover Floss was enthralled at spotting grandpa’s cat on different spreads. The cat with a little fiddle was the favourite!

Here’s a little flip through of this fabulous picture book.

If you’re looking for a beautiful book full of humour and exuding warmth this is the book for you. Perfect for all picture book lovers.

If you’re looking for more swashbuckling fun then I’d also highly recommend The Pirates are Coming. It’s a brilliant read aloud that children will want to join in with the repeated refrains. You can find inside images and a review of The Pirates are Coming here.