Jack Plank Tells Tales

In a fitting follow-up to the Peter Pan prequels, I just finished Jack Plank Tells Tales by Natalie Babbitt, the author of Tuck Everlasting (which I have never read). Jack Plank is a pirate who's no good at plundering. He is downsized from his pirate ship because of this and must find a new job. I know what you're thinking--but this was published in 2007. While staying at a boarding house, his fellow boarders suggest a number of occupations--farmer, musician, baker, fisher--but he has an excuse, and a tale, about why he cannot be any of those things. From bridge-dwelling trolls, to mermaids, to a sailor who turns into an octopus, his tales are reminiscent of old pirate lore. It's a cute book, but not earth shattering.

It's timely that I'm reading so many pirate books in September, because September 19 is National Talk Like a Pirate Day. I first started observing this quirky holiday when I worked for a children's books publisher and we published my favorite pirate book of all time: How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon. It's a really cute picture book about a little boy who gets swept up in a crew of pirates when they come ashore during his beach vacation to bury their treasure. We did a big marketing pitch for Talk Like a Pirate Day, which I believe was only a year or two old at that point. We even had an office party with themed games, costumes, and a cake!

So until next September, "Avast, yeh scurvy dogs! Argh!"