Title: Don’t Worry, Little Crab
Author: Chris Haughton
Illustrator: Chris Haughton
Publisher: Walker Books
Genre: Children’s picture book
Book format: Hardcover
Sweet Strawberries: 
Description: Little Crab and Very Big Crab are by the sea. Look! Here comes a WAVE.
Hold tight!
Here it comes!
*Free copy provided by publisher for review…
Review: This is such a lovely story and is perfect for all children, especially when they might feel nervous about a new experience. ‘Don’t Worry, Little Crab’ is a hardback book with matt pages inside which have some very colourful illustrations and text. Little Crab and Very Big Crab are heading to the sea. Little Crab is excited, but when he sees the waves, and how big they are, he’s not so sure anymore.
The story is such a cute one and I think everyone, adults as well as children will enjoy looking at the pictures. Little Crab, who lives in a rockpool with Very Big Crab, is so excited when he sets off for a visit to the sea but the big waves crashing into the rock where they both stand, when the reach the sea’s edge, scare him. He gets so scared that he’s afraid to go into the sea. The idea of a new experience which seems exciting but then scary is something that I think all children can relate to at some point. Little Crab isn’t in any danger, Very Big Crab looks after him during the splashes of waves, but he’s very scared and it takes some courage before he manages to set foot into the sea.
The story ends in a happy way with Little Crab overcoming his fear of the sea and actually enjoying it a lot. The way this is done is just so lovely and I love the way Little Crab becomes excited again and wants to explore more of the sea floor once he is there. The story has a nice flow to it, with some repetition in the waves crashing and the various sounds that the waves and the crabs walking makes. I love the illustrations and some of the humour in the story too, especially when Little Crab declares that he’s in the sea when he only really has one foot in the water!
The pictures are really special and so colourful. I love how simple they are and yet you can really see the sea and the crabs well. The way that Little Crab looks, and how expressive his face is just makes this so much more enjoyable. I can’t believe there is such expression from his eyes and you can see the emotions that Little Crab has, that many other children would also be feeling when they are scared of a new experience. The pictures are all beautiful, and I love how colourful the sea is once the two crabs are underwater. There is such colour in this book and the illustrations are all so amazing that I can’t help but want to keep looking back at this book, and I’m sure many others will love the images as well.
So many children get worried about something that they are going to do for the first time and this book can really help them be less scared as they can relate to Little Crab and can see the positive outcome of his visit to the sea. Little Crab acts like any child would in that situation and I think many kids will enjoy this book and many adults will enjoy using it as a way of showing kids not to be afraid of new experiences. It’s a book I’d certainly recommend.
Do you like this book? What new experiences do you remember being afraid of, or have your children had any new experiences they were scared of? Let me know what you think in the comments below 🙂
The Strawberry Post 