Since then he has written even stranger tales including The Pirates of Scurvy Sands, The Pirates Next Door, Gigantosaurus and The King of Space.

The first class, iconic illustrations are full of fantasy and the level of graphic detail makes them cool in a grown-up way.The pirates hear about the treasure in a tavern, but judging by the straws in the mugs they’re most likely drinking root beer rather than spirits.

This frightens the crew despite the talk of rubies and diamonds, silver and guineas and golden doubloons, but Purplebeard puts their minds at rest by reminding them that he is the 'SCOURGE of the SEA' and therefore more than equal to fight off any opponent. Purplebeard hears of the treasure through a fiddler who roams through the dark and nasty streets of Port Royal singing a ditty that mentions the treasure. A crew of pirates decide to look for some mythical treasure despite being warned that it's really dangerous to get to.Jonny Duddle has been a concept artist for Aardman Animations and created fantastic illustrations for fiction and novelty books, including ALIENOLOGY.

Once he hears the ditty and the fiddler unfurls a map of the location, Purplebeard sets his heart on owning 'a SHIPLOAD of treasure' and gathers together his men who are also hungry to get at the hidden wealth. and I was really amused to see all the signs that were so obvious during a second read but that I had missed the first time. The Pirates Next Door won the Waterstones Prize in 2012 and was shortlisted for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.Twinkl are offering a collection of free interactive resources and worksheets for parents throughout the school closure. Use the first line of this book as the starting point for your own story (‘It was unusually quiet in…’).

Kids reading the book get to play the part of wise observers who know far better than these bumbling pirates. Read all One night in Port Royal a band of pirates meets an old fiddler with a map leading to treasure. The pirates do get eaten in the end, so it's pretty dark, but so playfully written and beautifully illustrated, most kids will be fine.Eventually their greed overcomes their fear and, when they arrive on the island a hilarious fold-down flap shows that the island itself is the Pirate-Cruncher, who promptly swallows the whole motley crew! Can you design a pirate-themed game in which a group of pirates have to find some treasure (or escape from a sea monster)?