View source for Ten Little Pirates by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty

{{infobox2
|title=Ten Little Pirates
|author=Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty
|reviewer=Jo Heffer
|genre=For Sharing
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9781408320037
|pages=32
|publisher=Orchard Books
|date=July 2013
|aznuk=1408346451
|aznus=1408346451
|cover=1408346451
|website=
|video=
|summary=Counting books are hugely important in terms of young children's development and when they are as colourful and fun as ''Ten Little Pirates'' that's even better. This delightful, if slightly gruesome, tale of ten pirates that go missing is sure to appeal to small children and parents alike.
}}
''Ten little pirates, sailing out to sea,''<br>
''Looking for adventure, happy as can be.''<br>
''Are they hunting treasure? Are they going far?''<br>
''Ten little pirates all say, 'Arrrrrrr!''
 
It looks like all the pirates are going to be having a great sailing adventure but unfortunately, there is a huge albatross swooping and squawking in the skies above and suddenly one pirate gets snatched away so then there are only nine. Not long after, another pirate is zapped by lightning leaving only eight and then another is caught up in a hurricane. One by one, all of the pirates meet a grizzly end until finally there is only one solitary pirate all alone on a deserted island:
 
''One little pirate, sad and all alone.''<br>
''No ship, no food, no way home.''
 
It all seems very sad until you turn to the next page and discover all of the pirates returning from their mishaps and you can count them all in safely so that they are all able to continue on their adventure. Thank goodness for a happy ending!
 
This is a wonderful counting book for little ones who have already mastered counting upwards to ten as in this story they have to count backwards as each pirate goes missing. The way the pages are structured is clever because they always have to turn the page to get to the next number.  This provides the opportunity to anticipate and predict before actually discovering what the next lowest number is. This is helped greatly be the fact that this is a rhyming book so it is slightly easier to guess the next number:
 
''Two little pirates, baking in the sun.''<br> 
''Snap! goes a hungry shark - ''<br>
''now there is ....''
 
It's also a very exciting story which will particularly appeal to children who enjoy things of a gruesome nature. Each disappearance is also accompanied by a wonderfully captivating illustration showing what happens to each pirate. Every page is bright and colourful thanks to the pictures and the interesting way that the text is set up with big, bold letters and capitals in order to add impact.
 
This is a hugely enjoyable book with the added bonus of aiding counting skills and developing phonological awareness. We definitely recommend it. 

Why not also take a look at [[The Number Garden by Sara Pinto]]

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[[Category:Mike Brownlow]]
[[Category:Simon Rickerty]]