Fran Manushkin - Pirate Pedro

Ahoy there! Wake up! said Pedros dad. Its Pirate Day at school.

Pedro got up fast.

He ate his pirate pancakes and put on his pirate hat.

Good-bye, Pedro said. See you later, !

Take me along! said Paco.

You are too little, said Pedro.

Peppy, Pedros puppy, tried to come too.

No way! said Pedro. Puppies cant be pirates.

At school, Miss Winkle said, Hello, crew! Are you ready to be pirates?

Arrr! yelled Pedro and Katie and JoJo.

Can you unscramble these pirate words? asked Miss Winkle.

Glaf is flag! said Pedro. And words is sword!

Right-o! said Miss Winkle.

During art, Pedro made a pirate flag.

Its called a Jolly Roger, said Katie. They named it after a happy man named Roger.

JoJo told the class a story about a girl pirate.

Her name was Mary Read, said JoJo. She was !

After school, Pedro said, Lets be pirates at my house.

Arrr! yelled Katie. Ill be the captain. Im fierce just like Mary Read!

No way! said Pedro. Being captain is my job.

Pedros clubhouse was their ship. He proudly put up the Jolly Roger.

I want to be a pirate too! yelled Paco. He put on an eye patch and began running around.

Watch out! warned JoJo. You are !

JoJo grabbed Paco before he fell !

I think fast, JoJo bragged. Thats why I should be the captain.

No! I should be captain, said Katie. I have sharper eyes. I can see a crow sitting on our .

But I am strong, said Pedro. And brave! See my sword? I can win any fight!

Suddenly, it began to rain.

Dont worry, said Pedro. My ship is strong! It will keep us dry through any storm.

Below the ship, Peppy was rolling in the mud.

Oops! Pedro dropped his sword into the puddle.

Peppy picked it up to fetch it. He was a good fetcher.

No! yelled Pedro. It is not a stick. Dont bring it back to me.

Did Peppy listen? No! He climbed the ladder and shook mud all over the pirates!

Shiver me timbers! shouted Pedro. Its fun getting wet!

For sure! yelled Katie, laughing.

Yes! said JoJo. We are jolly pirates.

We would all be jolly captains, said Pedro. Maybe we should take turns.

I thought of that too, said Katie.

So did I! said JoJo.

Soon it was time for a snack of hot dogs and pirate .

All the pirates agreed: it was very tasty!

Fran Manushkin is the author of many popular picture books, including Happy in Our Skin; Baby, Come Out!; Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story; The Tushy Book; Big Girl Panties; and Big Boy Underpants. Fran writes on her beloved Mac computer in New York City, without the help of her two naughty cats, Chaim and Goldy.

Tammie Lyon began her love for drawing at a young age while sitting at the kitchen table with her dad. She continued her love of art and eventually attended the Columbus College of Art and Design, where she earned a bachelors degree in fine art. After a brief career as a professional ballet dancer, she decided to devote herself full-time to illustration. Today she lives with her husband, Lee, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her dogs, Gus and Dudley, keep her company as she works in her studio.