I was recently sent a complimentary copy of “Princess Pirates” written by D.K. Ackerman and illustrated by Polina Klimenko, and our family has loved it.
Read on for my review and a story summary!
In our household, we have a 3-year-old daughter with an affinity for dresses, sparkles, and all things pink. Despite being quite the “girly girl”, she is also the most rough and tumble kid you’ve ever met. She runs fast, she climbs high, and she jumps in any puddle she finds. This girl also loves imaginary play, whether it be with dolls or dinosaurs.
We also have a 2-year-old son with a passion for turning any household item into a weapon. A boy who adores his sister and loves to wear her princess gowns when they play. A boy who can hit a baseball as if he is spring-loaded, and can rock his baby doll with the softest touch.
Our two kiddos have so much more to them than “girl” and “boy”. They are unique people with unique personalities, and they are at an age where they are absorbing everything they see and hear.
And that’s why our family loves the children’s book “Princess Pirates”.
D.K. Ackerman wrote this story because she was tired of seeing all the books geared for girls telling only stories of beauty, grace, tenderness, and culturally feminine activities. She felt these tales lacked the whole picture — that a girl can do anything a boy can, even in their imaginary play. So she created this story to fill the void.
We love that the story D.K. created is one of the classic girl doing something classically associated with boys – playing pirates.
In this book, three girls dressed like princesses hear a sound that launches them into an imaginary world of seeking out treasure held captive by an enchantress.
The girls work together as a team, each playing a key role in achieving their goal. They board their cardboard box pirate ship, with one girl claiming her role as captain, another as first mate, and the last as navigator. They trudge through a tree-lined jungle, traipse through vines, problem-solve how to cross a lava river, fight off tigers, and oblige the request of the enchantress to earn their treasure.
The story is fun, light-hearted, and adventurous, and both our kiddos ask for it often. The illustrator Polina Klimenko very creatively paints the picture of the girls’ imagination and reality interplaying with each other. Her visual artistry allows the reader to be immersed in the imaginary treasure hunt along with the princess pirates.
‘X’ marks the spot with this treasure of a book! Our family gives “Princess Pirates” two thumbs up!
You can find the book on Amazon Kindle here, and at the links below!
Website: www.dkackerman.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/dkackerman_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/D-K-Ackerman-370618233734276/
Check out our other children’s book reviews!
You have adorable kids and i love the book for my nieces and nephews.
Thanjs for sharing, this book looks DARLING and sends a good message to our girls!
Looks like a great book! I love children’s book, they are just so magically.
This sounds like a great book to read my daughter when she gets a bit older. Love the idea!
This looks like an adorable story! I want to be a princess pirate LOL!
Love! This looks like so much fun to read!
What a fun book! Thank you for reviewing CHILDREN’S books..let’s me know which ones to buy!
Thank you for the interesting review! I will be checking it out!
Looks like a fun book. My daughters embrace both their “girly” sides and their “tom-boy” sides. I love to see it all!
I live this book as it sends a po message to all ch.
i’VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS BOOK! i’LL HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT
What a fun book! This looks so cute!
Love it! And love D.K. Ackerman’s reasoning behind creating it too! The artwork looks pretty awesome.
What a fun book for all children!
That sounds like a really fun book!
Ooh. Seems like i should get this book for my daughter too. she’S pink and girlh stuff but she also Enjoys roughing it out with her two older brothers!
So cute, my daughter has two brothers and was so into pirates as a little girl. She would have loved this
Looks like a great story judging by the smile on her little face!
It looks like a cute book to read
What a fun sounding book!
What a cute children’s book. I will need to remember this for my friends little ones.
What an adorable book!
This is one for my grandson’s library for sure. it looks super fun to read with him.
I have so many good memories reading books with my kids when they were young. This book definitely looks like one we would have loved! Love the photo of your daughter with the book. It’s incredibly precious!
Im sure my 5 year old daughter would love this book! Thank you for the review!
Such beautiful illustrations! Thank you for sharing!
How cute is she! Reminds me of my daughter at that age…she loved her princesses!
What a wonderfully refreshing story idea! I love it!
Wonderful story!
This sounds like a book i need for my princess who is totally a pirate
This looks like an awesome book. MY niece would love it.
Looks like quite the adventure to follow along!
I remember being young (yes I was young once..lol) and we were socialized to gender norms (girls play with dolls, boys play with balls),,, This sounds like a great book to break those norms and allow kids to be kids. Thanks for sharing.