Early Book Review: The Pirates Bed by Nicola Winstanley

The Pirates Bed is a picturebook by Nicola Winstanley. It is currently scheduled for release on March 10 2015. A pirate is sleeping snug in his bed when a great storm comes up at sea. The pirate sleeps on, but his bed is awake and scared of the thunder and the angry waves. Tossed this way and that, the ship finally crashes, sending the pirate to a tropical island and his bed off to sea.  At first, the bed is happy and enjoying its freedom. no more smelly feet, snoring or scratchy wool. It floats in the now peaceful water, meeting friendly gulls and playful dolphins and basking in the sun. But soon the little bed begins to feel like something is missing.

The Pirates Bed is the story of a bed lost at sea. I think it will capture the hearts of little pirates everywhere. The travels of the bed tell a great story, the ocean and the world is an awesome and sometimes frightening place. This story captures both sides of that coin. The story is not only a fun adventure, with illustrations that do a great job of capturing the adventure of the bed and the mood of the story, but it also is heartwarming. No matter how much people, or beds, think they do not need someone or something in their lives to care about, they do. Even small pirate cabin sized beds need someone to depend on, and to depend on them. 

The Pirates Bed is both a sweet bedtime or storytime book to share, there is another much deeper meaning that can reach the adults and children alike. I loved the story for both the story and its layers of meaning below the surface.