No One Told Me There Were Pirates!
Helen Vivienne Fletcher & Denise Damanti
Category: Children's Picture Book
Hardcover | 32 pages | 979-8-90115-040-5
Trim Size: 8.5” H x 10.3” W
Publication Date: August 4th, 2026
List Price: $18.99 USD
Publisher: Starfish Bay® Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction / Books About Books
Reading Level: Grade 1-2
Interest Level: Grades PreK-3
Guided Reading Level: J
Lexile® Measure: 450L
Accelerated Reader® Level/Poin: 2.8/0.5

Jack loves books—just not reading them. Can he find a way to connect with his book-loving family?

Jack's family loves books, and so does Jack—just not for reading. Jack's book buildings are driving his family to frustration, until one day Jack makes a discovery: there are pirates in books! As Jack dives into new worlds, he realizes books might just hold even more...
Immersive and imaginative illustrations catapult us into Jack's world and into the worlds he discovers in his own books.

Helen Vivienne Fletcher is an author, storyteller, and award-winning playwright from New Zealand. She has written an impressive collection of books for everyone from preschoolers to adult readers. When not writing, Helen teaches creative writing classes, and her alter-ego, Fairy Helen, runs story times at The Children's Bookshop. Helen lives in Wellington, with her assistance dog, Bindi, a playful Labrador who loves soft toys, cuddles, and can fit three tennis balls in her mouth at once.

Denise Damanti was born near Florence, Italy. Deciding to pursue a career in visual arts, Denise completed a Visual Design course at Nemo Academy of Visual Arts in 2017. It was here that she was introduced to the world of illustration. Denise creates fantastic and, sometimes “halfway”, worlds. She believes that it is through an altered world that there is space for an imagination that represents life at its fullest.

 

Key Features:
  • An empathetic story about a child discovering his love for reading.
  • This story embraces important themes of acceptance, connection, and working to one’s strengths.
  • Expressive illustrations explore immersion and expression through use of style and space to effortlessly communicate with young readers (or not-quite-readers!)
Themes:
  • Discovery of reading/literacy
  • Finding your own path to enjoying books
  • Creativity and imagination
  • Problem-solving
  • Family relationships
  • Perseverance
You may like