The Pirates Are Coming!

The Pirates Are Coming!
Written by John Condon & Illustrated by Matt Hunt
Age Level: 3-8 Years
Published July 7, 2020

I was not expecting that.

Every single person in our family is currently obsessed with this book, even my husband. It’s a modern take on an old classic! There’s a surprise ending! It smashes gender stereotypes! It defies heteronormative expectations of nuclear families! Did I mention there are pirates?!

This book is a play on “The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Every day, Tom climbs to the top of a hill to watch for pirates. But Tom is so keyed up in his role as watchman that he basically calls anything floating on the horizon a pirate ship. After a few days of false alarms, the members of his fishing village lose faith. On the day that a pirate ship actually does appear and sails into the harbor, the result is not at all what you expect. It is so much BETTER.

“And once again (but not quite as quickly this time), everybody hid.”

This is the kind of book that continuously surprises and delights you. It’s funny to see what kinds of boats Tom mistakes for a pirate ship - he is always way off. The villagers come up with some hilarious hiding places. And the friendships and family structures represented are wonderfully varied and unconventional. From the first page to the last, this book is a highly entertaining gem that will make you laugh out loud.