Chadwick the Crab
Grade 1-3 A blue crab is depressed because he will soon have to swim to the deeper waters of the Chesapeake Bay to sleep through the winter. His dream of fame, fortune, and adventure is realized when, through a series of mishaps, he becomes a star in the crab exhibit at the Baltimore Aquarium. Chadwick and his friendsOrville the oyster, Matilda the ``fussy old egret,'' Toulouse the goose, Bernie the sea gull, and Esmerelda, Chadwick's crab girlfriendare too cute, too shallow, and too unbelievable to attract readers. Writing is amateurish and silly; the characters are assigned too many human qualities for no apparent reasonthey are extraneous fluff and add nothing to the story. The book is full of impossibilities, even for a fantasyfor instance, how can a crab crawl out of a metal cleaning bucket? Cohen's illustrations, bold and vital, give the story the only life it hasmore than it deserves. Hayden E. Atwood, Cape Elizabeth Middle School , MaineCopyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.