I know about pirates, because one day, when I was at the beach building a sand castle and minding my own business, a pirate ship sailed into view.So proclaims Jeremy Jacob, a boy who joins Captain Braid Beard and his crew in this witty look at the finer points of pirate life by the Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator David Shannon and the storyteller Melinda Long. Jeremy learns how to say “scurvy dog,” sing sea chanteys, and throw food . . . but he also learns that there are no books or good night kisses on board: “Pirates don’t tuck.” A swashbuckling adventure with fantastically silly, richly textured illustrations that suit the story to a T.

    A new collection of adventures from Jack and Annie! This volume includes: Mummies in the MorningJack and Annie find themselves whisked away to ancient Egypt, where they come face to face with a dead queen--and her 1,000-year-old mummy! Pirates Past NoonJack and Annie are in deep trouble when the Magic Tree House whisks them back to the days of desert islands, secret maps, hidden gold--and ruthless pirates! Will Jack and Annie discover a buried treasure? Will they find out the identity of the mysterious M? Or will they walk the plank?

    British Hidalgo is "a place that you can put your arms around," welcoming and friendly to the visitor, but uncanny beings dwell in the bush and roam along its coast. Afloat and ashore, Jack Limekiller, master of the working sailboat Saccharissa, encounters ghosts of the colonial past and monsters far older.

    The Spanish Armada confidently set sail for what became one of the most crushing defeats in history, due in part to the efforts of Sir Francis Drake. During the previous century, Europe had fully emerged from its Dark Ages, and its explorers ventured to all corners of the globe. Inevitably, these new world powers came into conflict with one another over economic, dynastic, and religious issues. In the midst of this upheaval, Francis Drake, who was motivated as much by his intense hatred of Catholic Spain as he was by his devotion to plunder and to his Protestant queen, etched a name for himself in the annals of naval history. Drake was born a commoner, but his exploits of raiding the Spanish Main elevated him to the nobility and the councils of Queen Elizabeth. Drake was a hero to the English people, but his superiors and rivals often considered him little more than a common pirate. Wade Dudley s penetrating look at this complex man serves as an introduction to Drake s life and provides a concise account of the religious and dynastic disputes that would affect Europe for the next three centuries.