This imaginative tale tells of a pirate named Sydney and his pet parrot Polly as they explore the waters of Halifax Harbour in search of treasure. Their search leads them to Big Thrumcap, the southernmost tip of McNabs Island, which children might be interested to know is a real place. There, the duo meet a mermaid who offers to tell them where to find a chest of treasure if they are able to answer the riddle she poses.

The illustrations are vivid and full of details that will make children laugh out loud. The little black spider and flies hopping out of Sydney’s unruly mop of red hair, the smudges of dirt on his face and clothes, and dreamy backdrop of blue skies full of billowy clouds make for engaging visuals.

Young children will enjoy the repetition of the description of Sydney as the “terrible, horrible, smelly pirate.” The “arrghs” and squawks and pirate talk that Sydney and Polly use to banter with each other are also delightful and make the book a fun read-aloud for a K-3 audience. The language is playful, and students could be encouraged to look up other riddles or write their own as an extension activity.

This book links well with the People and the Environment strand in the Social Studies curriculum. The story can be used to start a discussion about how landscapes shape culture. Living near a harbour leads to different daily experiences than living near the mountains or another geographic feature. It is a wonderful opportunity to have children start thinking about their own relationship with the land they live on. Ontario school children may not be as familiar with lighthouses and this story can be an entry point into learning more about these structures that historically played an important role in sea navigation and that today are mostly tourist attractions.

This entertaining picture book can be used as a jumping-off point for other explorations connected to the curriculum or as a stand-alone story read aloud for fun.

Sabeen Abbas is a member of the Peel Occasional Teacher Local.