The Pirates Next Door (Jonny Duddle)

This is, in my opinion, simply the best children’s author. It really doesn't get much better than this. The Pirates Next Door turns a playful pirate story into something that feels real, with a heartwarming message at its core. I will admit—I was very surprised that it even brought me to tears, which my 3-year-old found very exciting (such a boy!). He absolutely LOVED this story, maybe even more than I did. A truly special book we’ll be reading again and again and again.

Great pictures, good rhyming

My class read ‘The Pirates Next Door’ and really enjoyed it so wrote their own reviews and wanted to share them with you. Well done Trust Class! The book is about a boy and his pirate family. Some pirates move to Dull-On-Sea, next door to a girl called Matilda. The girl thinks it is great that some pirates have moved next door and says to Jim-Lad, ‘you’re cool!’. But the pirates get up to mischief and start doing naughty things. The people of Dull-On-Sea wanted them to go away so they phoned up the council. One of our favourite characters was Nugget; “My favourite character is Nugget because she is really, really cheeky, rude and funny and she is learning to fire cannon balls”. You should read this book because if you read the blurb it sounds exciting and the name sounds really cool and the pictures look cool and they are a crazy family. The book is about a super family and the pages are detailed with writing and the pages are colourful. So those are some of the opinions of my class and I can back them up. A fantastic picture book that children love!

Such a good series and one that goes from picture books to longer stories as your kids grow. Awesome illustrations to study for hours and a great narrative. Boy and girl heros.

We got this book, after getting the Pirate Cruncher, hoping it would be much the same. Its nice but it didn't grab myself or 4 yr old as much as the Pirate Cruncher. Its a nice story of a little girl who seems to have little or no friends, till a pirate moves into the house next door. Its only temperary, till they mend their ship, but the neighbourhood is not happy, and tries to get them kicked out. I felt it was less about pirates and more about tollerating neighbours who are different and giving people a chance. There is a fold out page, as there is in the Pirate Cruncher (and my son can never wait to get to it) , but this one is terribly unexciting. Dull colours and very little happening. We barely open it anymore when reading the book. Maybe we would have liked it more if we'd read this one first. But a high standard was set, and unfortunately this didn't meet it. Didn't do much for a big Pirate fan, but still a nice enough book.

We are loving this book currently, it's about pirates but also about, discrimination, difference and acceptance.

The Pirate Cruncher is endlessly requested, especially with the excitement of the 'island' turning out to be a sea monster. Now we have The Jolley-Rogers, The Pirates Next Door, in this companion edition. Again a great success, with two years + grandchildren - all ours are pirate mad. Dull-on-Sea is taken aback by the arrival of the shockingly exotic pirates, who are laid up ashore for repairs. Matilda/Tilda however is thrilled to make friends with - a pirate boy - Jim! While the older folks in the community grumble and busily complain to each other, she couldn't be happier. All told in doggerel verse, this bouncy tale gives a little life lesson in not judging a book by its cover... The pirates actually have hearts of gold, and on leaving, the lines go: 'That night there was a tapping at Matilda's window pane. Outside was Jim. He whispered "I've got something to explain.. Whenever we stop somewhere new, the neighbours are unkind. To show them pirates aren't so bad, we leave some things behind" Shh!' Surprises in the form of the x marks the spot kind are discovered the next day. All laid out on a double page pull out, great fun to look through. The friendship between Tilda and Jim endures and a return visit is perhaps on the cards. The artwork is atmospheric, easy to take in. The sharply observed turn around in the reactions of the Dull on Sea Nimbies is hilarious. Jonny Duddle has done it again, Oo Arr! Shiver me timbers...

This book was bought for two grandson who live overseas. Their Daddy had to read it to them every morning at breakfast-time for a month as they were enthralled with the storyline, pictures and Daddy's character voices! I am sure it will remain one of their favourites and I've received requests to look out for other books by this author. It is a 'different' lovely book and I am so pleased I read the recommendations on Amazon as it was these other customer reviews that engaged my curiosity.

Great Read! Absolutely Love this book. The Story is great for Children and making friends. The illustrations are wonderful and exciting! Would highly recommend.

My grandson enjoyed this story and the pictures kept him engrossed.

It’s a nice read. Ideal for 4-5 years old. I love the graphics and that’s one of the things that sets it’s apart. The story also has a morale and gets the little ones thinking. It should definetly be in your 4 year olds collection.

Ein großartiges Kinderbuch. In eine Piratengeschichte eingebettet wird hier eine tolle Botschaft zum Thema Andersartigkeit und Toleranz erzählt. Der Zeichenstil von Johnny Dudele ist herrlich. Erinnert mitunter an das Computerspiel "Monkey Island". Außerdem auch eine schöne Piratengeschichte für kleine Mädchen - ohne dabei mädchenmäßig zu sein. Für alle (groß und klein) ein tolles Buch.

difficile de l'offrir à un enfant ne parlant pas anglais, cependant, les illustrations sont d'une telle beauté qu'il justifie même son acquisition pour ... n'importe quel adulte !