*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: Crab, Dab & Blenny is a fun, rhyming picture book about the serious theme of plastics in the ocean.
Fish friends Dab and Blenny are upset by the plastic that washes into their lovely rockpool home. Crab, on the other hand, just LOVES the shiny bright colour… But when Blenny gets caught in plastic twine, Crab finally understands the danger of plastics in the ocean.
Crab, Dab & Blenny is a book that celebrates friendship and the vast variety of life that exists in a quiet rockpool. Perfect for early readers or as a bedtime story for four- to eight-year-olds.
This book came at just the right time for us, as both Minishine (8) and Babybows (5) have been learning about pollution, recycling and World Ocean Day, so these are hot topics in our house at the moment.
This book is a perfect resource for anyone wanting to introduce the issue of plastics in the ocean to young children, as not only is it very educational but it is fun and engaging too.
Both my two loved the beautiful illustrations and the rhyming verses, and as a parent I appreciated that the rhymes were appropriate and unforced (you’d be surprised how many children’s books manage the rhyme but not the rhythm, or vice versa!). We were all really impressed with the quality of the writing and illustration.
Minishine had this to say:
It was really interesting to see how the rockpool changed as all the rubbish got into it and I didn’t know about the tiny bits you can’t see… do we eat those too, when we eat fish? That’s gross! I think people need to know that they might get sad and scared, like I did, at the bit where Blenny gets into trouble, because I thought he was going to die, but they should keep reading anyway to see what happens to him. It made me want to go to the beach and pick up litter right now!
Babybows’ opinion:
I wasn’t scared! I like all the fish but I really liked the grumpy crab ‘cos he was funny and he liked all the rubbish! But then he didn’t like it because it is bad when you have to live in rubbish all the time. Rubbish goes in the bin! And plastic rubbish should go in the recycling box because animals can choke on it and die. I like the bit with the massive hand best because [Minishine] got scared and didn’t want to look and I just kept on looking!
Well, my favourite bit was when it showed all the happy fish, like the starfish and the rainbow-coloured one. And I was only a bit scared! Well, worried, really. But not really. Mummy! Tell him to stop doing the loser dance!!!
Aaaah, sibling love!
Bickering aside, this book made a great family read, and both children want to take it into school to show their classmates, so it appeals to quite a broad age range. It led to some interesting discussions about what we can do to help the environment and protect sea-life, but wasn’t dry and factual – the story is exciting, the characters are cute and have distinct personalities, the message is clear, and the writing and illustrations are spot-on.
5* all round from the Shine household!
So, over time, the rockpool
– Peta Rainford, Crab, Dab & Blenny
Took on a different form.
Shells and seaweeds were more rare
And man-made was the norm.
The crab, of course, embraced the change,
Loved all things bright and new.
The others missed the Peacock’s Tail,
The Kelp and Gutweed too.
Find more from Peta Rainford at her website here, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Crab, Dab & Blenny is available on Amazon right now.
Don’t forget to stop by the other blogs on this tour (see the poster below for details) for more great content and reviews!
Bookshine And Readbows 