Stand tall, me hearties, and be counted! Today is National Talk Like A Pirate Day! In honor of this holiday, I thought I’d share a few pirate songs and a list of pirate books that regularly make the top of our reading list at home. Enjoy mateys!

Secret Agent 23 Skidoo – Imaginary Friend
Josh and the Jamtones – Pirate’s Life
Recess Monkey – The Seven Cs
The Hipwaders – Song of the Paleo Pirates
The Whizpops! – Anglerfish
Clint Perry and the Boo Hoo Crew – Pirate Booty
Billy Harley – Pirate Song

Dirty Joe the Pirate by Bill Harley
Bill Harley is one of our favorite storytellers! In this pirate adventure we get to meet Dirty Joe who sails the seas looking for dirty socks! But he’s not alone. Dirty Annie is equally as fierce. With a hilarious twist, Dirty Joe is caught completely off guard.

Here’s a clip of Harley performing “The Ballad of Dirty Joe” [courtesy of YouTube]

The Barefoot Book of Pirates by Richard Walker
This swashbuckling anthology is equivalent to a World Music compilation of pirate tales as each story comes from a different country. It’s a great book to read aloud as it introduces kids to characters such as “The captain in the German tale, Kobold and the Pirates; others, like young Mochimitsu in the Japanese tale, are friendly and funny.” Even Robin Hood makes an unexpected appearance!

The Night Pirates: Pop Up Adventure by Peter Harris
The main character, Tom, is awakened one night by a band of girl pirates who invite him along on their adventure to steal treasure from grown-ups on a far away island. It’s a silly tale that is filled with colorful illustrations and simple words for practicing readers. It is also a wonderful book to read aloud.