Imagine that Tilda stowed away on the Jolley-Rogers’ ship when they left. Write a diary entry from her point of view. Though there certainly is some truth in this characterisation, it is a gross over-generalisation. Many of these depictions and our understanding of the nature of the pirate are wrong. There are troves of evidence proving that a not insignificant number of these men were married, had strong family ties and connections to a community on land, were educated (at least to some extent) and came from families who enjoyed some degree of status in their respective societies. a unique race, born of the sea and of a brutal dream, a free people, detached from other human societies and from the future, without children and without old people, without homes and without cemeteries, without hope but not with- out audacity, a people for whom atrocity was a career choice and death a certitude of the day after tomorrow.

A native of New Orleans, Louisiana she is married and has two daughters. She and her husband, David, live in McLean, Virginia and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.This picture book has humorous rhyming text and pictures that combine the real and the fantastical, and could be an interesting way to explore ideas about prejudice. A witness claimed this was not a spontaneous uprising but “a Design for some Considerable time past,” as the ringleaders had kept “a pyratt in their houses and threatened any that will offer to seize him.”

Write a persuasive letter to the council from the point of view of one of the residents of Dull-on-Sea, in which they explain how they feel about the arrival of this strange family.This book is fantastic! The language creates a lot of humour and encourages you to use your best pirate voice! It is a charming book about how people can overcome their differences. There is also a moral to the story of never to judge a book by it's cover. For the period before the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, it makes more sense to talk about a sailor who commits piracy, rather than an actual “pirate.” Imagine a ten-year-old boy caught stealing candy from the store. If he learned his lesson, it would be ludicrous to call him a “thief” when he reached adulthood. If he goes on to get a PhD and becomes a respectable historian, it makes more sense to call him “professor.” Certainly there were flamboyant captains of legendary status who would never consider legitimate commerce as a way of life. But most sought one large prize and hoped to use their plunder to join the middling to upper echelons of colonial society. The JRs bring with them a pirate ship with treasure chests and barrels full of grog, which causes consternation among the neighbours especially when the Dad continually shouts 'Oo-Arr!' Grandpa stays on the ship drinking while a three-year-old 'Urchin' called Nugget is very rascally. Create an alternative version of the story in which a different family move into the house next door to Tilda’s house (e.g. a group of aliens or a family of astronauts). Write a list of similarities and differences between Jim Lad and ‘normal’ girls and boys. Why do Tilda’s family want her to be friends with normal children?

The true rebels were leaders like Samuel Willet, establishment figures on land who led riots against crown authority. It was the higher reaches of colonial society, from governors to merchants, who supported global piracy, not some underclass or proto proletariat. I think this is a great book and is suitable for years 1-3 in school. The illustrations are brilliant, exciting and add to the amusing nature of the story. It’s great to read aloud to a class of children and practicing pirate accents are a must! Rhyme is featured throughout the book which is an additional feature that makes it perfect to read aloud. This book could be used to inspire creative writing. The children could be encouraged to use their imaginations to write their own story about who might move in next door to them and the effect that this would have on their neighbours! Carry out some role-play activities based on the characters in the book. Carry out some interviews to find out how each character feels at different points in the story.The population of Dull-on-Sea is 2222 and the average age is 67. Can you find out these statistics for towns and cities in your local area? Could you use this information to create graphs, charts and word problems?