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The Gingerbread Pirates

(2009, Fiction - Holiday, Written by Kristin Kladstrup, Illustrated by Matt Tavares)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 4; suggested age 4.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Engaging twist on idea of toys becoming real.

Themes in this book include:   friendship

Why We Rated This on for Ages 4 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Not an issue.

  • Messages:

    The pirates work together to save their crew. While prepared for a fight, they listen to what Santa has to say and come to a new understanding.

  • Role models:

    Santa, of course, models empathy, generosity, and kindness -- for which the cookies are very grateful. The pirate captain, though wary, trusts Santa's word.

  • Illustrations:

    Artwork makes great use of perspective and captures the magic of home on Christmas Eve.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    The pirate cookies -- one armed with a cutlass -- explore a darkened house to try to escape Santa, who they think is a cannibal.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Gingerbread Pirates

Parents need to know there is nothing to be concerned about in this book. The pirate captain carries a cutlass, but it’s never used (it’s nibbled by a mouse). The gingerbread pirates are scared that Santa Claus is going to eat them, but all ends well.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about perspective. Most of the story is told from the view of the tiny gingerbread captain, who sees stairs as cliffs and a cookie jar as a prison. Kids can pretend to be a small cookie and then a giant. How would the world look different? Take a ride on a parent's shoulders and see how the view changes.
  • Captain Cookie knows nothing about Christmas or Christmas Eve. Ask kids to imagine being the mouse he meets. How would they explain Christmas?
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