Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of over twenty books for children, including National Bestseller Unicorn Day and the sequel, Unicorn Night: Sleep Tight, as well as Help Mom Work From Home!, Goodnight Veggies (a Jr. Library Guild Selection), and One Snowy Day. My poems have appeared in many anthologies and children’s magazines, such as Highlights and Spider. I grew up in New York City and still live nearby with my firefighter husband, two children, and a dancing dog.


I wrote

Unicorn Day: A Magical Kindness Book for Children

By Diana Murray, Luke Flowers (illustrator),

Book cover of Unicorn Day: A Magical Kindness Book for Children

What is my book about?

Hooray! Hooray! It's Unicorn Day! Thelma the Unicorn meets Uni the Unicorn in this rainbow-packed kids book guaranteed to delight…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of How I Became a Pirate

Diana Murray Why did I love this book?

This book seems to make many “best pirate book” lists, and with good reason. It’s full of fun pirate phrases and songs, has a refrain that encourages audience participation, and has a great underlying message that is subtly delivered through the main character’s own kid perspective. Although being a cantankerous pirate seems like fun, the relatable main character eventually realizes that the pirates’ rule-free lifestyle has some negatives (such as green teeth due to not brushing) and decides for himself that maybe he doesn’t want to be a pirate after all.

By Melinda Long, David Shannon (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How I Became a Pirate as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this New York Times bestseller illustrated by Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator David Shannon, a boy sets off on a pirate adventure—with surprising results!

When Braid Beard’s pirate crew invites Jeremy Jacob to join their voyage, he jumps right on board. Buried treasure, sea chanteys, pirate curses—who wouldn’t go along?

Soon Jeremy Jacob knows all about being a pirate. He throws his food across the table and his manners to the wind. He hollers like thunder and laughs off bedtime. It’s the heave-ho, blow-the-man-down, very best time of his life. But then Jeremy Jacob finds out what pirates don’t do. .…


Book cover of Henry & the Crazed Chicken Pirates

Diana Murray Why did I love this book?

Who could resist a story about chicken pirates in a hot air balloon ship? This outrageous tale of adventure is sure to hold kids’ attention and make them laugh. Sensible, cautious Henry the bunny continues writing in his book despite the other pirates’ protests that writing is a pointless activity. In the end, he saves the day and changes their minds, thus delivering a message (in a fun way) about the importance of reading and writing.

By Carolyn Crimi, John Manders (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Henry & the Crazed Chicken Pirates as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

BOWK! Buccaneers and book lovers will squawk with laughter as Henry and his hare-brained crew face another high-seas adventure. Now in paperback. (Ages 4-8)

Barnacle Black Ear and his band of Buccaneer Bunnies are back! The floppy-eared scallywags are busy — shooting one another out of cannons; swinging from the masts of their ship — too busy to listen when Henry finds a threatening message in a bottle. While Henry works frantically on his book mapping out a plan, his mates bowl with coconuts or dig for treasure, and his father, Black Ear, bellows that Henry is wasting his time.…


Book cover of Pirate's Perfect Pet

Diana Murray Why did I love this book?

Kids will enjoy the captain's search for the perfect pet and all the "commotion" the pirates cause wherever they go, "as good pirates should". A visit to the zoo lets the captain cross "peg leg" off his pirate checklist, thanks to a lion (the scene is handled in a humorous way without being scary). And the "poop deck" pun at the end (naughty parrot!) is sure to have everyone laughing

By Beth Ferry, Matt Myers (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pirate's Perfect Pet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Ahoy! Pirates, pets, and puns run amok as a sea captain takes off on a mad search for the perfect animal sidekick.

Big, brave Captain Crave can check off most items on the Perfect Pirate checklist. He has a pirate ship, an eye patch, courage and daring, and more. Only one thing is missing: Captain Crave doesn't have a pet. Arrr! Shuck me an oyster and set sail for land! The captain and his crew race and chase critters of every size and shape, from the beach to a farm to the zoo to a pet shop, causing a commotion…


Book cover of Pirasaurs!

Diana Murray Why did I love this book?

With bouncy rhyming text (extra points for the unique rhyme scheme!), this one makes for a fun read-aloud. Pirates and dinos are a winning combination and it’s a nice touch that Captain Rex is female. The main character is a small dino that kids will relate to and root for, and there is a nice underlying message of cooperation.

By Josh Funk, Michael H. Slack (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pirasaurs! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We're Pirasaurs! We're Pirasaurs!
We rule the open seas!
We'll cannon-blast you to the past! 
We do just what we please!

Meet the Pirasaurs, a ragtag team of seasoned pirate dinosaurs looking for adventure and treasure! There's fearsome Captain Rex, golden-toothed Velocimate, one-eyed Bronto Beard, and more fearsome, buccaneering beasts....as well as one new recruit who may be small, but who's eager to prove he can learn the ropes and find his place on the team.

But when a trap is set upon the Pirasaurs while looking for buried treasure, it's up to the littlest recruit to show the team…


Book cover of Pirate Mom

Diana Murray Why did I love this book?

This hilarious story is an early reader rather than a picture book, and it’s a great example of a children’s book that will also entertain adults. Pete’s conservative, well-mannered mom gets turned into a pirate by a hypnotist. Then she proceeds to fly a jolly roger flag over their house, tries to fight a neighbor, steals underwear off the clothesline, and screams at the PTA to “Give me yer loot!” It’s incredibly funny to see the extreme transformation and all the trouble that Pirate Mom causes when she is in a trance.

By Deborah Underwood, Stephen Gilpin (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pirate Mom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, and 8.

What is this book about?

Join Pete, whose mom has been hypnotized to believe she's actually a pirate, on his adventure to get his mom to remember who she really is!

Yo ho ho! Pete loves pirates, but his mom thinks they are rude and messy. Then Pete and his mom go to see the Amazing Marco, and Marco hypnotizes Pete’s mom into thinking she’s a pirate! Now Pete’s mom won’t behave. She chases the neighbors. She steals underwear off other people’s clotheslines. She’s even flying the Jolly Roger over the house. Pete has to find the Amazing Marco. He wants his real mom back!


Explore my book 😀

Unicorn Day: A Magical Kindness Book for Children

By Diana Murray, Luke Flowers (illustrator),

Book cover of Unicorn Day: A Magical Kindness Book for Children

What is my book about?

Hooray! Hooray! It's Unicorn Day! Thelma the Unicorn meets Uni the Unicorn in this rainbow-packed kids book guaranteed to delight you with its heartfelt message of inclusivity and dazzling glittery pictures. This clever, colorful, and over-the-top picture book about unicorns and unique-corns is a MUST for all unicorn lovers!

The most important rule of Unicorn Day is to have fun, fun, fun!

Book cover of How I Became a Pirate
Book cover of Henry & the Crazed Chicken Pirates
Book cover of Pirate's Perfect Pet

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,383

readers submitted
so far, will you?

You might also like...

Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

Book cover of Follow Me to Africa

Penny Haw Author Of The Invincible Miss Cust

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Storyteller Dog walker Dreamer Runner Reader

Penny's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories. 

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…

Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

What is this book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Pirates, piracy, and pets?

Pirates 90 books
Piracy 140 books
Pets 56 books