It’s Always a Good Day for Crabbing

Written by Karin Whiting Burgess

Illustrated by Deborah McLaren

On a doc over the coastline’s rocky shallows a child and his dog prepare to catch crabs. Dropping a line he has readied himself, the boy waits–but not too long! One by one the feisty creatures grab the bait. The boy watches closely and pulls. Carefully he plunks his busily munching catch down into a bucket. As the crabs come up, sea gulls boldly stride closer, and the newly caught grabs scuttle round and round the bottom of the bucket. It is busy! Dock walkers admire the curious catch and friends join in the fun. When the bucket bottom is covered, over it goes as children shriek with joy to watch the crabs scramble sideways back to their ocean home.

Unforgettable, color-washed images of children and dock activity deliver you straight into this crabbing adventure. The story, told in easy rhyme, is written from a child’s point of view. The boy is in charge, completely taken in by his prideful endeavor. At the end, he leaves the dock (taking care to attend to his assembled audience of gulls), happy, successful and ready to go back again soon. He knows, as any young crabber will knowledgeably tell you, if it’s summer, no matter what the weather, “It’s Always a Good Day for Crabbing.”

Published by Flat Hammock Press, 2005