This book is a funny play on words and has a slight twist to the story. It would be a fun and engaging way to also learn so much pirate specific vocabulary, ahoy, cutlass, jigs, shanties, etc. Cute and colorful, I could see lots of children getting caught up in the silliness of this story.

Follow Pirate Jake on a swashbuckling adventure to get to the bottom of why everyone says “Ahoy there” and why he can’t find any Hoys.

I really thought the illustrations in this book were eye catching and I was very impressed as they really set the scene.

However I felt the content may be a little over young children’s heads and they might not understand. I really did want to love this book but unfortunately felt the story could have been fleshed out a little more.

A great kids book that would be very re-readable and perhaps become a family favourite. Pirate Jake is a colourful character who seems out of whack with his fellow pirates, getting confused when they all say 'ahoy there' to him. He can't see of find any hoys anywhere! But as he searches further, he ends up on an unexpected journey around the island, and discover something magical. Strong illustrations add to a great little story that's told in prose but has a lovely rhythm to it, and lots of fun wordplay that will keep kids and adults alike interested on the first read and all the ones afterwards. Recommended.

Miss M review: I think it was really funny and really fun, because I thought he was a bit silly the pirate with what he thought when other pirates said 'ahoy, there' to him, but in the end it was a really fun story with an interesting ending. I like the drawings and loved every single bit of it.

The images in this book were beautiful, but the story was lacking. The book assumes that readers understand what a “hoy” is. The first few pages seem to jump into the story without any context, which made it a little tricky to figure out what was happening in the book initially.

We love Kes Grey and Jim Field's Oi! series and this picture book is another fun idea based on a play of words. Perfect for pirate fans, it follows the character of Pirate Jake, who is more than a bit confused...

Pirate Jake is desperate to be a proper pirate. But how can he be when he doesn't know what a hoy is? Every pirate he meets talks about 'a hoy' so why he see or understand what they are on about? It's time for Pirate Jake to go on a search for a hoy!

This text, with its bold, bright and brilliant illustrations by Mark Chambers, is fun, fun, fun and takes young readers on an exciting quest. Will Pirate Jake find a hoy or will he realise his mistake? Things may turn out quite differently to what you expect!

As always, Kes Grey's genius use of language not only creates laugh-out-loud comedy but also encourages children to be creative and imaginative. However, there's a lovely tender undercurrent to this book too which added depth to the narrative and increased our enjoyment of it. If you're looking for something uniquely different, then this is the book to pick.

This was a fun lighthearted book about puns and I loved it! I was cracking up reading it with my son.

3.5~3★
“Ahoy there! Shouted Pirate Jim to Pirate Jake.”

My Goodreads review includes an illustration of the scene with the caption:
Pirate Jake has no idea what’s going on.

“ ‘WHERE?’ wondered Pirate Jake, looking around in all directions. He couldn’t see a hoy anywhere.”

We can see his parrot flying overhead, but it’s no help at all. Jake decides to go look for hoys himself. He looks in all kinds of interesting places. No luck at all.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘I’LL NEVER BE A REAL PIRATE IF I CAN’T SEE A HOY!’”

He wonders what’s the matter with him. Then he has a look at his parrot and asks what’s the matter with it and why doesn’t it repeat everything he says, like a real pirate’s parrot.

He keeps going, clambering over flotsam and jetsam, onto another beach. At the bottom of a cliff, he spots a hidden cavern behind some vines.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Pirate Jake raised his cutlass slowly and parted the seaweed with his blade.

‘Apirate there!’ came a whisper from deep inside the cave… ‘ A PIRATE THERE!’

Pirate Jake craned his neck forward and peered into the gloom… ‘AHOY THERE! He bellowed.”

Well, what a surprise! He found some real live hoys!

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘Welcome to our home, Pirate Jake,’ said the hoys.
‘Would you care to join us for tea??’”

Not only did he (and the parrot) join them for tea, they spent the rest of the day with them.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“He swapped sea yarns with the hoys, danced sailor jigs with the hoys…”

At nightfall, he realised he’d better let his friends know he wasn’t lost. The were at the other end of the beach with lanterns, looking for him.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘Ahoy there!’ he called, as the twinkle of lights drew close. His pirate friends held their lanterns aloft and peered in all directions.”

His fellow pirates look puzzled and ask him where.

“ ‘Hahaarrgghh, now that would be telling!’ smiled Pirate Jake, a real pirate at last.”

The writing is lovely, with some very nice turns of phrase. The illustrations are exceptionally great – colourful, detailed, and humorous. Even the premise of the story, a confused pirate trying to find “a hoy”, should have been good, but it didn’t work for me. All the ingredients are there for the children’s picture books I love.

I’m not sure how I’d read this with a child, other than looking for things in the pictures. It is a very attractive production.

Thanks to NetGalley and Happy Yak publishing for the copy for review.

This was... fine? The illustrations were cute and it was kinda funny, but I did not find anything wow or special or interesting about it.

It's a cute pirate book but I feel like the concept and story overall needed a bit more processing to be turned into a better picture book for the little ones.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
On one sunny day in port, several pirates call out "Ahoy!" to one another. However, pirate Jake can't seem to understand what that means. As he takes a lonely walk along the beach with his parrot, who doesn't talk back, he sees footprints leading into a hidden cave. What's inside the mysterious cave? And will pirate Jake finally be able to understand the meaning of Ahoy?
It's a hilarious take on pirates and the words and phrases they use. Pirate Jake, who can't seem to understand the pirate language, meets a group of strange beings who teach him all sorts of things. The Hoys is a funny and heartwarming picture book that shows the reader the meaning behind pirate talk.

Wordplay meets quirky pirates in this new picturebook by Kes Gray. ' Ahoy there!' call the pirates in Pirate Jake's village. But what is a Hoy and why can't Jake ever see one? What follows is a hilarious adventure where Jake, with his pirate parrot for company, stumbles on a discovery.

With colourful , richly textured illustrations, this is sure to be a hit with little ( and older) fans of Gray's popular 'Oi'' series, ready to take on more challenging text.

What's a "hoy"? Well, that's exactly what Jake the pirate wonders after hearing all the other pirates scream "Ahoy there!" How can he be a real pirate if he never finds a hoy?

This book was very funny and silly (but in a very good way!), and it introduces young children to puns and word plays.

I also really enjoyed the illustrations, especially the backrounds depicting the beach and rocks.

I'd recommend this book to all the young pirates out there who enjoy having a good laugh!

This book was so funny.
First of all I love the illustrations, they are really well done. The story made me laugh so hard, I love the idea of the Pirate looking for a creature and going on a quest to become a real Pirate. I have to say I did read this one to my son and he was intrigued with the Hoys, and is currently playing pirate.

As an adult, this book was hard to comprehend because we know the term “ahoy” to be a greeting of sorts. My 7 year old son found this book to be funny and entertaining. He loved trying to spot the hoys as we were reading. The illustrations were colorful, lively, and vibrant. The story was the perfect length for elementary age. It definitely made you be more open minded and creative in thinking. For a child, great work for the ahoy phrase! Unique and different for kids to read.

The illustrations are vibrant and engaging, setting a fun tone right from the start with clever wordplay. However, the overall message is either lacking or not effectively conveyed. It might be a coming-of-a-pirate story, referring to self-actualization and adaptation to a new environment.

Considering the theme and target audience, incorporating more rhymes, akin to a pirate song, would enhance the experience. Additionally, the choice of words appears to be too complex for the intended 2-6 age group. The texts are long too for the same reason.

Very cute story and I loved the illustrations! My son enjoyed reading this book and found the story to be silly! I liked the message to not give up and it sparked some good discussion for my almost 6 year old!

A funny story with a super twist on standard pirate lingo!

Meet Pirate Jake. He can't understand why all of his pirate friends can see the Hoys and he can't. They walk around all day saying "Ahoy there", "Ahoy" and poor old Jake can just see other pirates. He is convinced that he will never be a real pirate because he can't even see a Hoy. Even his parrot won't repeat what he says from it's lofty perch on his shoulder. He might as well quit right now and become an accountant!

So imagine his joy when he finds a secret cave and on entering, he finds it full of Hoys! Finally he can see them and they are very friendly and offer him tea and sea biscuits. After enjoying their superb hospitality, he goes back to his friends, a real pirate at last!

Pirate Jake (and Parrot Jake) gave us a lovely giggle with this one. Humorous, great illustrations and not your average pirate sea shanty. We are heading off to meet the Hoys as soon as school finishes as we rather fancy a catch up with a cuppa, although those sea biscuits sound a little salty so we will maybe stick with a digestive!

Thank you to Net Galley and Happy Yak for sending this eBook for our review consideration. All opinions are our own.

This is an adorable book about pirates finding themselves. The art work is so cute, and it answers the question pirates have been asking for years, “What is ahoy?” The best part is you will be able to practice your pirate voice as you teach your children how to talk like a real pirate.

What a cute concept of a book! Do you know what “A’Hoy there” actually means? Neither do I, but I can see my curious toddler asking me this! And what a cute response to be able to tell him. The book answers this in such a creative and entertaining way. We really enjoyed reading this book, and the illustrations were top notch. Definitely recommend especially to any pirate loving kiddo.

Cute little book. We went into it thinking the “boys” were just hellos and he “the pirate” did not know but we did not know the boys were actually ghosts/spirits. Cute short book.

I teach kindergarten and I read this book to my class of 21 5 year olds. They loved it. Their favorite part was when he found the hoys. They loved the drawings of the hoys and that they were see-through. A few of them found the book a little bit scary when he was going into the cave. The illustrations are bright and engaging. The vocabulary in the book is challenging in places with some words requiring explanation but overall that did not take away from the enjoyment of the book. The kids gave it 5 stars!