Colin McNaughton: Captain Abdul's Pirate School

Author-illustrator Colin McNaughton is the first to admit that he is immature, confessing, "The older I get, the more I realise my sense of humour is exactly the same as it was when I was four years old - it hasn't changed at all."

A compulsive artist since boyhood, Colin McNaughton grew up in a home that was virtually bookless. What he did have in abundance, however, were comics.

The slapstick humour of these, along with comic annuals and Saturday morning cinema serials, has been a lasting influence on his books.

The comic book format, with its immediate link between word and picture, appeals to McNaughton enormously and he believes it provides a step between book and film that will entice many children into the printed page.

No great fan of school life - "the word 'school' still gives me nightmares" -McNaughton opted to study at a technical college rather than at a university.

But even this was a challenge at first - he made such a mess of the application form he missed out on registration and had to odd-job for a year before he could try again. He trained as a graphic designer and eventually completed an MA in illustration at the Royal College of Art.

While still at college McNaughton received his first commission to illustrate a book. However, he did not immediately begin a career as a full-time artist. He worked in editorial and advertising before deciding that his real vocation lay in creating books.

Although his initial work was as an illustrator, McNaughton found that he enjoyed working with words so much he began writing as well as illustrating. Since then he has produced over 60 books, many of which he has written himself.

Anyone familiar with McNaughton's books will know that pirates are a recurring theme in his stories. This year is the 10th anniversary of the publication of Captain Abdul's Pirate School and with its companion volume, Jolly Roger, has been recently republished.

Most children, according to popular belief, would jump at the chance to go to pirate school and learn the finer skills of the trade.

The pupils at Captain Abdul's school, however, are all reluctant pirates and have been sent by their parents to toughen them up.

The school is staffed by a mixed bag of buccaneers, including Khan the Really Nasty, Poop-deck Percy Ploppe and Spanish Omar Lette. Captain Abdul himself is the archetypal pirate, sporting a bristling red beard, an eye patch and a wooden leg. He makes "the tea and sandwiches and teaches foreign languages". He also teaches the children how to speak pirate: "Ooh-arrgh!"

Pickles, a young pirate-in-training, reveals day-to-day life on board the Golden Behind through a combination of narrative and diary entries. Readers are introduced to the various pupils, including some familiar names such as Mary Read, Jim Silver, Frankie Drake and Henry Morgan.


Captain Abdul's Pirate School is full of jokes and word plays. The language is as colourful as the illustrations and children will love the opportunity to join in by reading out the multitude of speech bubbles that are sprinkled through the pictures.

It is a wonderful book to share for a lively storytelling session.

Publisher: Walker Books

Price: $16.99

Age: 4-8 years

Recommended by: Jenni Keestra