Crustacean Vacation - Hardcover

Marty Kelley is the author and illustrator of the children's books Fall Is Not Easy, The Rules, Winter Woes, Summer Stinks, Spring Goes Squish, The Messiest Desk, and Twelve Terrible Things. His career as an artist started when he began drawing historically accurate pictures of spaceships dropping bombs on dinosaurs. He has, in the past, been a second grade teacher, a baker, a cartoonist, a newspaper art director, a drummer in a heavy metal band, a balloon delivery guy, and an animator. Now he visits lots and lots of schools to show students how he creates his books. He is also a juried member of the New Hampshire State Council for the Arts Visiting Artist Roster. Originally from Somersworth, New Hampshire, Brian Benoit now listens for the roar of the surf deep in the woods of Cavendish, Vermont. His sea creatures were originally conjured up to entertain his brother during family trips on the Maine coast, and have since proven popular with his own children. Crustacean Vacation is his first children's book.

PreS-K-"From out of the sea, from out of the spray,/The crab family's going on holiday!" Father, mother, grandma, and sister and brother crablets all head for a seaside resort to try out the pool and spa, an arcade, and a water park. The bright cartoon illustrations show each creature with distinct characteristics and attire, living it up on the beach until it's time to return to the sea. Dad clutches a camera, mom has polka-dot glasses, grandma wears a white bathing cap with flowers (and is game for anything), sister has a snorkel outfit, and brother, a baseball hat. Their antics are fun but a little hard to follow because of the busyness of the illustrations, and sometimes the rhyming couplets are labored. But even though both pictures and text could use more clarity, libraries needing more books on summer might want to add this one. It will certainly appeal to a young child's sense of humor.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.