Ahoy, Mateys! Jolly Crew Sets Sail at Library

September 20, 2024September 23, 2024 Sarah Hodges 0 Comments Park Cities People

Young buccaneers found their sea legs on Sept. 19 during the University Park Public Library’s celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Seafarers were tasked with making their own floating pirate ships out of straws, foam sheets, and cut up pool noodles left over from the library’s Mini Olympics.

Siblings Madison, 8, and Landon Weis, 11, got to work making a fleet of relatively nice and mean pirates who would do battle in their pool.

“They do swordfight and make people walk the plank,” Madison said of the “nice” pirates. “They don’t hurt anybody. But if there’s somebody trying to steal their treasure, they’ll get them.”

Nearby, 3-year-old Luca Boddicker used markers to color the flag of his pirate ship blue, his favorite color. His mom, Christina, said she’d taken Luca and his brother to the celebration to encourage their love of building and to bond with friends.

The library has had Talk Like a Pirate Day displays in the past, but this is the first year it has offered an activity, youth services librarian Zoe Williams said.

She said the boats could remind young seagoers of their time at the library and be a conversation starter for children and parents.

“Maybe it can even be a vocabulary builder as they try different words that they’re not used to, or different phrases,” Williams said. “I just think it’s a fun, imaginative thing that they can do.”

Bookworms looking for more library fun can enjoy stories and songs with community helpers and get an up-close look at their vehicles during Outdoor Community Helper Story Time.

Upcoming story times are at 10:30 a.m. at the Centennial Park Gazebo, 3800 University Blvd., on the following Thursdays: