Pirate's Lullaby: Mutiny at Bedtime

by Marcie Wessels, Tim Bowers (Illustrations)

Yo, ho, ho! It’s bedtime! But this little swashbuckler will do anything to avoid going to sleep. Read along as he stalls for time—searching for peg-legged Captain Teddy, stowing his toys in the ship’s treasure chest, and even playing a game of walk-the-plank! Snuggle up with your own little pirate for a fun and delightful high-seas adventure as you wind down your exciting day together.

"The rhyming text is filled with pirate dialect, which adds whimsy and fun to the story."— School Library Journal

Genres: Picture Books, Pirates, Storytime, Childrens, Humor, Fiction, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2015

Reviews

[La Tonya Jordan]

But this little swashbuckler will do anything to avoid going to sleep. Read along as he sails for time - searching for peg-legged Captain Teddy, stowing his toys in the ship's treasure chest, and even playing a game of walk-the-plank! Snuggle up with your own little pirate for a fun and delightful high-seas adventure as you wind down your exciting day together.

This children's book was beautifully illustrated with the father, pirate ship, and the high seas. It used the vernacular of pirates with words such as, lad, heave, first mate, weighin', sailin', and ye. A good bedtime story for children and as you will read for adults.

Quote:
"But, Papa, it's so dark and I'm marooned here all alone!"

[Jillian]

It was cute, but there are definitely better "get ready for bed books" out there. This one seems like it'd get the kiddos more riled up for pirate adventure instead of ready to batten down the hatches and sleep.
That said, it was still a fun book. I really liked the illustrations, and the typical "kid won't sleep" antics were all the more interesting for being on a pirate ship.

[Rebecca Gomez]

The story and pictures are adorable, and the pirate lingo is fun. But the rhyme is a bit of a metric mess. I suggest reading it once aloud to yourself to iron out the meter issues before reading it aloud to kids.

[Angie]

My Review: This was the best children's pirate book we have read so far! It is not spooky at all, it has really cute illustrations but still has a clear pirate theme. The rhythm and rhyme of the story were fantastic even with the pirate vernacular. It was a fun story to read and there were a couple of interactive moments where your child can look for certain things in the pictures to keep them engaged. At the same time it is a great bedtime story with soothing images and words and a clear bedtime routine.

[Courtney]

My children love these little books. They thoroughly enjoy each and every story, as if they are all unique and individual without any cause for similarity among them. Even though sometimes, they might seem tedious and repetitive to me as a parent, I do enjoy being able to read short-stories to my children that are clean and respective.

[Abby Peskin]

Very cute story about a little pirate who doesn’t want to go to bed and comes up with all of the usual tricks and excuses about why he needs to keep staying up, but set in the style of a pirate’s voice and on a pirate ship with rhyming text so it’s very entertaining to read for both parents and kids.

[Trisha Parsons]

This is a great book for a pirate-themed storytime. There are a lot of opportunities for dialogic reading as you can have the kids repeat things like "Land ho!" and "Avast!" And the narrative is really sweet as the pirate papa works hard to help his son (aka first matey) fall asleep.

[Jennifer]

This is the story of a father putting his son to bed but his son doesn't want to go. It's all done in "pirate speak" which works well and is easily read aloud. Fantastic illustrations as well. A great group read aloud!

[Ashley Newell]

A cute little father-son book. May have to add this one to our collection because of the pirate theme alone!

[Pam Carroll]

We LOVE Ned and his bedtime story. This is one of my son's very favorites. I wish the author would write another one that we could add to our bedtime routine.

[Viviane Elbee]

This is a very cute, rhyming bedtime story for young pirate fans. Kids enjoyed it.

[Tori]

Papa pirate puts his little pirate to bed. After a drink. And some begging. And another story. Cute little pirate book that will work well for pirate day storytime.

[Villain E]

A young pirate fights bedtime. Told in rhyme. Playful without being counterproductive to bedtime.

[Sharlene Robertson]

The pirate speech will keep kids entertained, but the pirate specific language will lose them.

[PixieART]

Most adorable bedtime pirate story for small children. I recommend for children under 5. 🏴‍☠️👶 My 9 year old was very upset at me for reading this to him and kept growling at me. 😂

[Bre Henry]

This pirate twist on the bedtime routine is perfect for mutinous preschoolers.

[Lillian Slater]

All toddler parents can relate

[Jessica]

A cute bedtime pirate book. I liked the x marks the spot page with the bed and the pillow. A little too cutesy for me as a pirate book, but it would be good for toddlers at bedtime.

[Emmaline MacBeath]

SUMMARY: It is bed time for little first mate Ned, but he isn't sleepy. He thinks of every possible stall tactic from climbing the mast, to begging for a story. Papa pirate caters to Ned's every wish until he is the one to fall asleep while Ned looks on wide awake!

ILLUSTRATIONS: I loved the large, clear, and colorful illustrations. There are just enough lovely background details to keep any age interested.

THE GOOD: First of all, for some reason, I have become extremely fond of pirate picture books. And this one ranks well on the Hearty Bounty Meter. The title was the first thing that drew me in. "Mutiny at Bedtime" just sounded fun. Ned pulls out every antic from the I Don't Want to Go To Bed Tactics book and poor Papa is left in the dust to follow behind this energetic lad. I loved the illustrations, I loved the rich pirate language, I loved the clear love shown between father and son. And I chuckled at the surprise ending.
THE NOT AS GOOD: If you have a child who is already pulling tactics to stay away from bedtime, I would hold off on reading this book. It just might give him/her more ideas for stalling.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: Advertised for ages 3-7, however there are a lot of pirate words that may have to be explained.

[Luisa Knight]

A sweet yarn that depicts the lovable, though lengthy process, of putting little Pirate Ned to bed.

Ages: 3 - 7

Here’s a few of our bedtime favs: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Kendra]

As a parent, who doesn't have mutiny at bedtime when it comes to put kids to bedtime. Even my family occasionally hears complaints when it comes to bedtime. My kids have had their bedtime since they were an infant. This is such a cute book that even parents can enjoy reading aloud to their kids. But, I think parents and kids see this book amazing at completely different reasons. My kids really enjoyed this book from the ten year old to the three year old. It's such a cute book that really makes them think of all the ways they try to delay going to bed at night. The illustrations are adorable and really bring the story to together. Reading this aloud was really easy and a lot of fun. No worry about tripping over words while reading aloud. I do think this book would be good for bedtime and not during class time.

[Barbara]

A possible bedtime choice for budding pirates who just don't want to go to sleep, this picture book shows a piratical father who lovingly prepares his son for bed. As he patiently searches for the boy's stuffed animal, tucks him in, gets him a drink, and reads him a bedtime story, the poor old Dad is exhausted. By the time he's lying in bed with his son, book clutched in hand and sea shanty at the ready, the father is the one who falls fast asleep, not his son. The humorous text and bright illustrations will make many adults smile in recognition at their own experiences with their little ones. Sometimes chasing after children takes so much energy that it's the parents or caregivers who need a nap or an early bedtime.

[Amelia]

Author Marcie Wessels weaves a surprising amount of pirate lingo into this story of a boy named Ned and his father getting ready for bedtime. With lines ranging from thirteen to fifteen syllables, a sing-song cadence quickly develops and only gets stronger as the story progresses. The rosy-cheeked rascal pulls all the stops with a search for teddy, a drink, and a story are all implored upon by the fast fading Papa pirate, until at last one of them is asleep (hint, it’s not little Ned). Enjoy the equally delightful aquatic themed details in the drawings, like the octopus sippy cup, the peg-legged and eye-patched stuffed animal, and the titles of the books on the bookshelf. You might have your own mutiny on your hands as pint-sized pirates request a second retelling.

[Aleece]

This is a book with wonderful illustrations that has a lot of color and detail. It's also a great book that is a lot of fun for kids of all ages to read/listen to. The way the text is displayed throughout the book is done in a really fun style that moves the story along like a game. The fun rhymes throughout and the games that First-Mate Ned play trying to escape from the dreaded bedtime in order to be a pirate a little bit longer and have fun. Kids can really relate to wanting to play a little longer and that makes this book so great.

I received this advanced copy from Doubleday Books for Young Readers through Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.

[Paula]

A young pirate faces off with his dad as bedtime approaches. Their pirate-y banter is done in rhyming text that works well for the most part. The usual arguments are here: “not sleepy”, missing teddy, water, bedtime story. After all requests are met, by the time daddy pirate gets to the asked for bedtime lullaby, young pirate Ned is fast asleep. The seafaring terms are clever, and the artwork is bold and bright and comforting rather than menacing. The age-old theme will be familiar to the very young and the rhymes will appeal to budding buccaneers. The picture book is not a must-have, but it is cute nonetheless.

[Lorie]

Even though Little Pirate Ned doesn’t want to go to bed, but he follows Papa Pirate’s orders until he can’t find his first mate Teddy. An all hands on deck search ensues until his beloved bear is found and the bedtime routine is restored. This sweet rhyming story that is perfect for bedtime reading. It has larger pages filled with gorgeous images of life on a pirate ship appropriate for any young child enamored with playing pirates in their play.

I would recommend this book for purchase by any public library.

This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.

[Juliana Lee]

It’s Ned’s bedtime, but he’s not sleepy. Papa Pirate enthusiastically guides Ned through his bedtime routine… swabbing the deck, locking the treasure chest, and searching for Captain Teddy. He takes Ned into his room where his bunk is ready and the pillow marked with an X, but Ned employs the last drink, one more story, and escape from Davy Jones’s locker. Finally, Papa gets him into to bed with the lights out. But when Ned asks for one more song, it’s Papa who falls asleep! http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...

[Gail LaVoie]

This book was great! I read it out loud to my daughter using a pirate's accent and she loved it! The illustrations are well done and kept my daughters interest which is a huge deal. The story is of a Pirate dad trying to get his son to go to sleep. He tells his son a quick tale then lures him into his bedroom with more pirate lingo. There were moments when I laughed out loud at the situation the father was in because its so relatable! All-in-all, the book was great and I can't wait until my daughter can use it to learn to read.

[Kim Bell]

This is a cute book, and I may use it for story time at the library. Written with a lot of pirate jargon, it might be hard to read aloud without rehearsing it a couple of times, but the story is timeless - the boy won't go to bed, and Papa Pirate does everything he knows (to his exhaustion) to get the little one tucked in for the night. Great illustrations, cute story, follows the pirate theme very strictly.

[Rachel]

This is a good selection for parents whose children are pirate fans, or who may be pirate fans themselves. As the title indicates, this is a bedtime story for that pirate who just doesn't want to go to bed. Dreamlike illustrations of a pirate father and his toddler son swirl between a pirate ship and a child's bedroom, mixing fantasy and reality. Recommended.