PIRATES IN PAJAMAS

A familiar bedtime routine gets a pirate-themed makeover.

Think pirate PJs would just be of the black-and-white-striped variety? Think again! Pirates, it seems, enjoy pajamas with pom-poms, frilly sleeves, and even footies. On board the Leaky Parrot, Capt. Redbeard leads his crew through the bedtime motions. In a refreshing twist, the pirates found here aren’t avoiding going to bed in the least. They are, however, milking every second of the preparation process. From sculpting their hair into shark fins in the bath to dance parties and pillow fights, these buccaneers know how to put the yo-ho-hos into their nighty-nights. While the book reads more like a pirate sleepover party than the usual bedtime routine (though oral hygiene is recognized in the cover image, no teeth get brushed in the narrative), kids will nevertheless come away from the story hankering for a pirate-themed bedtime of their own. Knight’s visuals are bold and bright, and the cartoony images studiously avoid the viewing of the occasional accidental mooning (though they do make a Simon and Garfunkel reference for the benefit of adult readers). The sheer variety of pajama types helps keep the story young and fun.

Few will be calmed by this raucous crew’s capers, but at least they’ll see that sometimes bedtime can be an adventure all its own.