The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab - (Seatales Sea Animal) by Janice S C Petrie (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

As low tide comes and the salty water slips away, a sleek little horseshoe crab learns how taking critters and creatures for a ride could save his life!

The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab is a horseshoe crab adventure with a happy ending. This picture book has a whimsical, rhyming style, and portrays horseshoe crabs exhibiting behaviors that they commonly use in real life. It's the perfect choice for a family read-aloud for children 3-10 years old. It also is a great tool for teachers who are studying marine life, tidepools, or coastal sea animals. The fun, colorful, simply drawn illustrations are expressive, and bring each sea creature to life. Although two horseshoe crabs are the central characters, periwinkles, limpets, barnacles, and green and Jonah crabs are also portrayed in the story. At the end of the story, there are pages containing information about horseshoe crabs and other sea animals that appear in the story.

The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab is the first book in Petrie's sea animal series. Did You Make the Hole in the Shell in the Sea? and Something's Tugging on My Claw! are two award winning books that complete Petrie's three book rhythmic, rhyming, and colorful series.

Review Quotes

Recipient of the Mom's Choice Award, honoring excellence.

"In her children's book, Petrie uses simple, bright images and a playful rhyming scheme to convey her message that horseshoe crabs have a greater purpose than their appearance may suggest. I really enjoyed, "The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab," and I especially loved how Petrie made the creatures look adorable. Well done!" --Muriel Hoffacker, Community Editor/Lifestyle Reporter, The Salem News, Beverly MA

"In Petrie s educational children s book, a horseshoe crab learns that an apparent fashion statement is actually necessary for survival. ... Petrie once served as an outreach educator for the New England Aquarium, and her knowledge of and passion for marine life is apparent throughout this colorful work. Readers don t need to have a deep interest in marine biology to love this book; it s so engrossing and engaging that the fact that it s also educational is just an added bonus. Children won t just learn about horseshoe crabs: after the story is over, the last pages offer a glossary of the sea creatures mentioned within, including limpets, Jonah crabs, and barnacles. Petrie s bright illustrations are also a delight. Overall, this work is sure to inspire further under-the-sea exploration at bedtime and beyond. A fun marine adventure that s fit for everyone." --Kirkus Reviews

"I received this wonderful children's book on Wednesday and couldn't wait to read it to my first graders at Brophy Elementary School. The students extremely enjoyed this story as a read aloud as they had touched and felt a horseshoe crab when we went to the Aquarium. The rich vocabulary and rhymes kept students highly engaged. Although my students knew it was a fiction story, they appreciated the non-fiction elements including the glossary, diagrams, and facts throughout the book. They wondered whether the author was an expert on horseshoe crabs. Some direct quotes from my students include: I like this book because it tells us about real life in the ocean; I think it is a good book and I hope the author writes another book about a seahorse; The pictures are cool! How did she make them? Maybe with markers." --Amy Cheever, First Grade Teacher, Brophy Elementary School, Framingham, MA

"Fourth graders study the ocean biome each year in connection with Maine Studies. We discuss plants and animals, their life cycles which includes food chains and webs. The students learn about the adaptations that animals utilize to survive. This book would fit right in with this unit of study. The illustrations are wonderfully colorful. The use of rhythm and rhyme in the text makes it a fun read. I particularly liked the factual information included in the back of the book." --Sally MacLaughlin, Fourth Grade Teacher, Ella P. Burr School, Lincoln, ME

"I am a third grade teacher and read this book to my class. The vocabulary is wonderful, "debris." Being from Maine I figured the children were aware of what a horseshoe crab was, but NO. The book is sure to bring on much discussion. Fabulous! A must read!" --Debra Hardy Timberlake, Third Grade Teacher, Livermore Falls, ME

"I read "The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab" to my class of 2-3 year olds. They really liked it, especially the part where the seagull swooped down and grabbed the horseshoe crab and then she wiggled free and fell back into the water. We had to look at those few pages and talk about them again and again! I also read the story to my 7 year old and she really liked the story as well." --Michelle Lewis, Preschool Teacher, MA