Heidi Hart

I let my son pick out a new book to celebrate the end of the school year (at 3.75, he just finished his first year of Montessori Pre-K), and this was his pick. Good choice, kiddo. This is the gorgeously illustrated story of Jeremy Jacob, who is building a sandcastle on the beach when a band of pirates comes ashore. They notice that he's a good digger, so they bring him back to the ship to help them bury their treasure. (Jeremy Jacob is sure his parents won't mind, so long as he's back in time for soccer practice tomorrow.) He has a grand old time being a pirate for a day, but as the night wears on, he learns that piracy isn't all it's cracked up to be.

This is a great read-aloud book, because who doesn't like to talk like a pirate? The illustrations, as I mentioned, are fantastic, and the story is entertaining and relatable for kids ages 3 - 8ish.