Ahoy there, mateys!

Pardon for sayin’ so, but yer lookin’ a might peckish, mebbe a trifle peaked.

No worries, here be a tasty tater tale to tempt your tum-tum. Yarrr! We’re off to the high seas with Pirate Pearl and her perky parrot Petunia in pursuit of provisions. So twirl yer tricorns and climb aboard!

In the rib-tickling read-aloud, Potatoes for Pirate Pearl by Jennifer Concepcion and Chloe Burgett (Feeding Minds Press, 2023), a hungry pirate and her squawky sidekick learn how to plant, grow, and harvest potatoes, all while making a new friend.

Pearl and Petunia, who had been at sea for many months aboard the Jolly Oyster, were absolutely fed up with eating hardtack biscuits day after day. “I’ll make this codswallop walk the plank!,” Pearl said, just before she tossed their barrel of grub overboard.

Now what?

Luckily, with a “splish splash SQUAWK” they were soon able to make landfall to scope out some fresh grub. They “splashed through streams . . . hiked hills . . . and trooped through trees” when they spied a red barn and silo in the distance. “Thar she grows!”

Fading fast, Pearl and Petunia could barely drag themselves toward the farm. Just in the nick of time, a friendly landlubber named Farmer Fay came to the rescue. She carted them off to her kitchen to revive them with a steaming bowl of potato soup. Blimey, was it good!

Pearl surely appreciated the “mighty fine vittles” and wanted to know more about those “potater thingamajigs.” Fay showed Pearl a potato sprout and invited Pearl to help her plant a new crop. As Pearl used her peg leg to make holes in the dirt, Fay touted the health benefits of those terrific tubers.

After being startled by the sprinkler and almost killing a helpful aphid-eating ladybug, Pearl got to drive Fay’s tractor. “Yo HO!” Then it was time to check out the potato plants Fay grew year-round in the greenhouse.

This got Pearl to thinking . . . could she grow potatoes in barrels on her boat? Aye, fer sure!! Fay explained how potatoes could be eaten in many different ways: boiled, fried, diced, smashed, hot, and cold — then enlisted Pearl to help her prepare one spudtacular supper.

The next morning, as Pearl was ready to set sail for the briney deep, Fay gave her a sack of potatoes to go (replacing the spuds Pearl had stuffed in her pockets). After apologizing to Fay for “plunderin’ yer potaters,” all was forgiven and the two friends gave each other a hearty hug.

So the Jolly Oyster took to sea, with Pearl content she’d copped quite a coffer: “Good food on her ship and a fine friend in her heart.”

This right yappy yarn, flavored with generous helpings of alliteration, onomatopoeia and pirate-rich dialog, makes for a riotous read-aloud. Tater-growin’ facts are delightfully woven into the lively narrative, and the budding relationship between Pearl and Fay makes for barrels of fun. It’s great to see a girl pirate, as well as people of different ages, backgrounds, and skin colors cook up a fine friendship.

Burgett’s cartoony digital illustrations ramp up the humor with hilarious details. It appears Pearl’s “playin’ pirate” to some extent, as her eye patch actually hides a good eye, and her twirly mustache is drawn on her face (love when it gets wiped off with her napkin after eating soup). She inks it back on before leaving, though. 😀

Emotive facial expressions add appeal and relatability to the characters: Pearl’s melodramatic ‘starvation’ pose, Farmer Fay’s blissful confidence, Pearl’s suspicion over the possibly poisoned soup, Pearl’s wide-eyed astonishment at seeing a potato sprout for the first time. Each page turn is a delight as Burgett alternates between full-bleed spreads, cartoon panels, and scroll-treasure map insets, for a jolly good reading experience.

Kids will love this tasty tome and learning all about potato farming. Back matter includes recipes for Potato Soup and Hardtack, Tips on how to Grow Your Own Potatoes, and an interesting miscellany of Potato Ponderings & Fun Facts. Did you know there are more than 100 different types of potatoes, or that growing potatoes onboard could have single-handedly cured scurvy?

Avast, ye starvin’ seadogs, swashbucklers, and laugh-lovin’ landlubbers too: Tickle your taches ‘n gobble up this gratifying grub! Arrrrr yer talkin’ like a pirate yet? 😀

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POTATOES FOR PIRATE PEARL
written by Jennifer Concepcion
illustrated by Chloe Burgett
published by Feeding Minds Press, September 2023
Picture Book for ages 4-8, 40 pp.

♥️ An Educator’s Guide for Potatoes for Pirate Pearl is available here.

♥️ Click here for an Activity Kit

♥️ Check out Jennifer’s School Library Journal piece about the book.

♥️ Enjoy this video of Jennifer discussing the inspiration for the story and ways to use the book in the classroom.

❤️ International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19!!

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*Interior spreads text copyright © 2023 Jennifer Concepcion, illustrations © 2023 Chloe Burgett, published by Feeding Minds Press. All rights reserved.

**Copyright © 2024 Jama Rattigan of Jama’s Alphabet Soup. All rights reserved.