It’s true, Pirates ate rats by Heather Catchpole and Vanessa Woods

Another in the series, It's True, this book focuses on the topic of pirates, which is suddenly everywhere as a theme in books. True to the format of the other 13, the book has a contents page, an excellent index, lots of black and white photos and drawings and a quiz. Interspersed with the chapters are glossary pages, giving explanations of terms used in the text. I was very pleased to see that unlike many other books on a similar theme, there is a last although brief, chapter on Piracy Today.

Kids, particularly boys, will get a giggle and lots of facts from books such as this. It not only tells a great deal of information about pirates and piracy but tells it in a way that is sure to please. I was worried however about the pages of text, unbroken by headings, sub heading and words in bold print, as these are the very things the modern reader of non fiction looks for. From Ancient Greek times to the infamous piracy of the eighteenth century, pirates are shown warts and all. Kids will revel in the gritty detail given, the stories of Captain Kidd and Blackbeard, the tales of being marooned and searching for treasure, and the ending of the pirate era by the signing of a treaty in 1713.

Fran Knight