You don’t usually expect a Senator to select a story about a pirate losing his leg, when he’s reading to a bunch of first-grade kids for Reading Month, but A Pirate’s Quest, by Laura and Robert Sams, really is a memorable experience! Illustrated with beautiful oil paintings by Heiner Hertling, you’ll also be drawn in by the nature scenes as the pirate goes on his epic quest to recover his heirloom peg leg.
Senator Mike Shirkey visited Mrs. Whitney’s first-grade class, at Anderson Elementary School, in Bronson, Missouri, on March 24, 2017, to celebrate Reading Month, and also to encourage the kids to read. He started off by saying, “If you can read, you can do just about anything!” And, then he selected A Pirate’s Quest, with all it’s compelling hilarity. This children’s book follows the adventures of a pirate who floats “all over” the world — from lake to river to ocean — in search for his lost wooden leg.
Shirkey served on the Columbia Central School Board, and he’s also a father and grandfather. You might well imagine him reading to his own family… but he’s run into a bit of controversy re: his record with education. (Bonnie Johnson claimed that Shirkey voted for “unnecessary cuts to education spending in order to advance business tax breaks.”)
On awards and accolades alone, though, selecting A Pirate’s Quest was an obvious choice…
A Pirates Quest: AWARDS
- Mom’s Choice Award for Adventurers and Heroes
- Midwest Book Award for Children’s Picture Book of the Year
- Next Generation Indie Award for Children’s Picture Book of the Year
- Finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Children’s Picture Book of the Year
- Award of Excellence for Overall Design, The Communicator Awards
- Nautilus Silver Award for Children’s Picture Book
- Finalist for Best Illustration, Midwest Book Awards
Take a look at the Illustrator Heiner Hertling painting scenes for A Pirate’s Quest:
Then, READ the book… and don’t forget to let us know your thoughts!