The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab
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, MAFourth 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, MEI 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, MEI like the rhyming, and the bold words are in all the right places to emphasize words that hold a child's interest. The pictures are bright and entertaining, with the back section of the story being very educational, while still understandable to a young child. The story line is wonderful with a young horseshoe crab learning how to survive in his habitat. I would read this book to any group of children and I think they would all be entertained. Children that frequent the beach would be especially excited by this book and would probably look for more books by this author. The story moved me because it involved learning an important life lesson with a happily ever after ending! --Heidi Caswell, substitute elementary school teacherI 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, MAIn 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--Muriel Hoffacker, Community Editor/Lifestyle Reporter, The Salem News, Beverly MAThey hang out at the beach and are so scary looking you think they might bite. No, they're not men wearing spandex. These little creatures are actually horseshoe crabs and author Janice S. C. Petrie has written a book about them. Written in rhyme, "The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab" is set in Duxbury at Powder Point Bridge and is for ages three to nine. The book tells the story of horseshoe crabs and their undersea adventures. A glossary is included at the end of the book and teaches about limpets, barnacles, and other underwater life forms and explains the individual parts of the horseshoe crab. To learn more about horseshoe crabs, Google You tube and type "The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab" on the search line. To view Petrie's Facebook page, type in the title of the book after going to the Facebook site. --Gail Lowe, Reporter, The Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MATopsfield resident Janice S. C. Petrie knows so much about horseshoe crabs that she wrote a children's book "The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab" to debunk common myths about the sea creatures and to educate children. "Horseshoe crabs are not well known. They get a bad rap! There are many misconceptions about these friendly sea creatures," Petrie said. While working as an outreach teacher for the New England Aquarium in Boston, Petrie became interested in learning more about horseshoe crabs. "I learned how to catch a horseshoe crab and was able to observe them in their natural habitat," Petrie said. For many years, Petrie , founder of Seatales Educational Company, went to preschools and elementary schools to give sea creature demonstrations to students. Through demonstrations, Petrie learned the biggest misconception people have about horseshoe crabs is they sting because of their long tails. "They do not sting or even bite! Horseshoe crabs use their tails for balance and to turn over," Petrie explained. Horseshoe crabs are very valuable for science research, Petrie added. Scientists are interested in horseshoe crab's for a number of reasons including their optic nerve, chitin shell, and blue blood that clots when harmful gram negative bacteria are present. For more information about horseshoe crabs, check out Petrie's Facebook page by searching for "The Bumpy, Lumpy Horseshoe Crab," and her Youtube video under the same name. --Suzanne Snell, Reproter, Tri-Town Transcript, Boxford MA