Hal the Pirate

A lively and engaging Starters title for beginner readers illustrated by acclaimed picture book artist Polly Dunbar, with a friendly text and stylish two-colour illustrations.

Hal the Pirate is part of Walker Starters, the wonderfully fun and friendly series for beginner readers. "Yo ho the billy-o, a pirate's life for me!" But is it really a pirate's life for Hal, who gets seasick, falls overboard (a lot), and doesn't know his west from his east? This is a charming story with a twist at the end, told through a range of writing styles, including hand-lettered speech bubbles and diary entries. The illustrations, which appear on every page, are lively and stylish, and play an active part in helping children understand the text.

June Crebbin has written over forty books that have been published in the UK and abroad. She trained as a primary school teacher, and has taught in Leicestershire, Yorkshire and for a year Michigan, USA. Many of her ideas come from her family, the children she’s taught and the children she knows now at a riding stable. June lives in Leicestershire with her husband, and has two grown-up sons and two grandsons.

Polly Dunbar is a major star in the picture-book firmament. She is the author-illustrator of Dog Blue and Flyaway Katie, and the illustrator of Pat-a-Cake Baby, written by her mother, Joyce Dunbar. Her collection of titles beginning with Hello Tilly have been made into an animated series, Tilly and Friends, currently airing on CBeebies. Polly lives in Brighton, Sussex. Find Polly online at www.pollydunbar.com, and on twitter as @PollyDunbar.