By Jodie Lancet-Grant (author) , Lydia Corry (illustrator)
"‘Who cares about ordinary, thought Billy. It’s a pirate’s life for me.’"
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
View All Editions (1)
The Pirate Mums is a swashbuckling, high-seas adventure starring Billy and his two extraordinary mums, complete with a bad-tempered parrot called Bird-Brain, a sudden storm, a sea-sick teacher and a captain who gets stuck in the toilet. Billy wishes his family could be a bit more like everyone else’s, and just a bit more ordinary.
But his mums aren’t like other mums. They are pirates. They wear outlandish pirate clothes, insist on dancing jigs and singing sea shanties when Billy’s friends come round to play, and they have decidedly fishy taste in home decor. When his mums volunteer to accompany Billy’s class on a school trip to the seaside, with a boat trip included (Billy’s mums love boats), he makes them promise to be normal.
But when the boat gets into trouble, their nautical knowledge and salty sea-legs save the day. Billy discovers that it’s what makes his mums different that also makes them – and himself – special.
Billy's family is not what you'd call ordinary. His mums won't listen to NORMAL music. They love to sing sea shanties and dance jigs in the lounge.
Read the full description
Their clothes are highly unusual, they have a rude parrot for a pet, and their taste in house design is, well . . . FISHY. Billy wishes his family could be more like everyone else's.
Until a swashbuckling adventure changes everything!
A sea-faring adventure deftly packed with humour and charm, The Pirate Mums is a heartfelt reminder that what makes your family different is what makes them special. - Lauren Ace, author of The Girls, winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Award for Illustrated Books.
Absolutely swashbuckling, climb aboard! - Jessica Love, author and illustrator of Julian is a Mermaid
The rollicking story of Billy's two mums, who save the day on a school trip to the seaside, thus convincing Billy to stop longing to have a normal family... A rainbow-hued riot of sea shanties and pirate banter. - The Guardian
Jodie Lancet-Grant is the author of the nationally acclaimed 2021 picture book The Pirate Mums , which, read by Sue Perkins, was the first ever Cbeebies bedtime story to feature a family with two mums. Her writing has appeared in publications including The Times, the Independent and the Telegraph and she is a passionate advocate of LGBTQ+ representation in children’s culture. She is Chair of Judges for the Children’s and Young Adults category of the Polari Prize, the UK’s only prize for queer writing. Jodie also works as Communications Director at Pan Macmillan on high-profile non-fiction books for Bluebird. The Marvellous Doctors for Magical Creatures is her second picture book published with Oxford University Press.
Check her out on Instagram @jodielancetgrant
Children's Books that Celebrate the Power of the LGBTQIA+ Community and Culture for Pride Month this June
30 Perfect Picture Books to share this Mother's Day
Children's and YA Books for LGBT+ History Month 2026
The Awesomely Adventurous Librarians
Marv and the Funfair Fright
Supersized Squirrel and the Attack of the Zombears
Marty Moose: First Class Mischief
Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape
Billy's family is not what you'd call ordinary. His mums won't listen to NORMAL music.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Pirate Mums and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-6 years old
The Pirate Mums features in the following genres: Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Funny, PSHE: Sexuality, Gender and Relationships, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Featured Books for 5+ readers, Recommendations
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
The Pirate Mums was written by Jodie Lancet-Grant and published by Oxford University Press
The Pirate Mums has 32 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.