The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate is a whimsical and joyous picture book about a very ordinary man, Sam, whose eccentric, adventurous mother suddenly returns and declares they are going to sea. Sam, accustomed to his humdrum office life, is swept up in his mother’s pirate fantasy. Margaret Mahy's text is rich and playful, celebrating imagination, embracing the absurd, and the thrilling contrast between conformity and wild freedom. The book is a beautiful, affirming message about living life less seriously, finding adventure in the everyday, and the enduring power of a mother’s influence, no matter how unconventional.
