The crabs want readers to know that they've had it with books about cute and fluffy critters, and they're demanding their own book. This beautifully illustrated alphabet book should make them happy, as fullpage spreads offer detailed images and short informational paragraphs about decapods ranging from Arrow Crabs through to their Zebra Hermit cousins. Each page brings a fresh, up-close painting of a new variety, with the only slightly fudged offering being "I for Imocaris," a crab-like fossil from several million years ago (and be sure to check out the Ninja and Halloween varieties). There's a considerable amount of factual information packed into the relatively brief text passages, and occasional cheeky messages directly from the crabs spice things up. Young readers should be able to readily understand the content, and they'll certainly enjoy looking at the detailed pictures. Whether for group or individual perusal, school or public library, this makes for a handsome and intriguing addition to the abecedary canon.
--Booklist

A collection of crabs, "tired of books about cute penguins, proud tigers, colorful butterflies, and other favorite animals," help to narrate this quirky ABC book. Leonard illustrates in naturalistic art, while Pallotta, the author of many abecedarians, introduces each crab in upbeat, fact-filled paragraphs: "J is for Japanese Spider Crab.... Its legs can be more than six feet long. Wow!" Additional facts ("And now a message from the crabs") are offset from the main text: "Most crabs have eyes like periscopes." While many of the crabs' missives are more irreverent than edifying ("Please don't call a grumpy teacher a crabby teacher--it's not nice!"), readers will enjoy learning about the peculiar-looking and often uniquely named (Halloween crab, ghost crab, ninja crab) decapods.
--Publishers Weekly