Clem and Crab

March 9, 2020
In her solo debut, Lumbers gently yet effectively exposes a contemporary environmental crisis through a concerned girl’s perspective. At the seashore, while Clem combs the tide pools for “treasures that washed ashore, but also the things that other people had left behind,” she is pleasantly distracted by a crab that seems to watch her, but then disappears. Sorting the items she’s collected into “one pile to put back, the other to be recycled,” Clem finds the crab tangled in a plastic bag and sets it free. In the tale’s only credibility strain, she notices on the bus home that the crab has crawled into her pant hem. Before finally returning it to the sea, she brings her crustacean friend to school, where she tells her classmates about the rescue and shows them a collage she made with the plastic waste she retrieved. Though the story’s urgent message is modern, Lumbers’s images of the girl and her peers are timeless, evoking simplicity and warmth and resulting in a rewarding fusion. Ages 4–9.

February 14, 2020

PreS-Gr 1-Clem loves the beach: the crashing sound the waves make when hitting the shore and the crunch of the sand under her feet. She enjoys spending time exploring tide pools and discovering treasures. If it belongs to the sea, Clem will return it to the sea. She also finds and collects items that have no place in the water. Plastic bottles, bags, and toys are placed in her bucket. While Clem is searching, a little crab carefully watches what she's doing. She shows kindness to the curious crab by freeing it from a piece of twisted plastic. The new friend finds a way to go home with Clem. Eventually, Clem realizes that she needs to bring the little crab back to the ocean where it belongs. However, she worries about the careless trash that is taking over its home. How can a young child remedy this situation? The illustrations in this book are charming. This is a perfect story for Earth Day or any day of the year. It reminds us that we should care for the world in which we live. VERDICT This simple but wonderful book shows that one small action can be the start of something big and wonderful.-Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2019
A young girl goes beachcombing and finds an unexpected friend. Clem collects treasures both natural and human-made, and a small crab comes entangled in the plastic that makes up some of her collection. While heading home on the bus with her sister, Clem discovers that the crab has unwittingly stowed away in her pants leg. In her kitchen, she makes a home for the crab, then brings him to school along with all the plastic waste she found on the beach as part of her show and tell. Crab escapes, scaring and delighting her classmates, and the teacher tells Clem to take him back to the beach. Clem replies,"The beach is messy and dangerous. I try my best to keep it clean, but it's a big job." When she returns to the beach, she is delighted to find that her classmates are there already, helping to clean up. She feels much better about returning Crab to his newly pristine environment and makes a promise that she will always look after the beach: "for Crab, and all the other sea creatures." Lumbers' skillful, pleasingly composed pencil, crayon, and watercolor illustrations and simple but expressive text are perfectly suited to her story, capturing the ingenuous earnestness of her young protagonist. Clem and her sister are white; Clem's classmates are diverse. This sweet, feel-good tale about a can-do kid is in tune with its audience. (Picture book. 3-6)

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