Member Reviews

Henry the hermit crab had spent his entire life on the dim ocean floor, hidden away from the world. But deep down, he knew that there was more to life than just darkness and monotony. Henry yearned for glamour and drama, a life filled with excitement and adventure.

Henry's inspirational journey taught him that life is too precious to be wasted in darkness and boredom. By embracing his true self and pursuing his passions, he had not only transformed his own life but also brought happiness and excitement to others.

Let Henry the hermit crab be an inspiration to us all. Let us never settle for a life of dullness and mediocrity. Instead, let us chase our dreams, explore our talents, and create a world filled with glamour and drama. Remember, the ocean is vast, and the possibilities are endless. It's time to dive in and make a splash! :)

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I'm Fabulous Crab is a story of a crab who yearns to sparkle and shine despite what others say. They deem it better blend and mix in with the crowd rather than being true to one's self. This fun and bright children's book teaches young readers the importance of being true to yourself even if it is scary and you are unsure.

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Henry the crab is tired of being shy and drab, like all the other crabs, so he gets himself decked out in color and becomes Fabulous Crab. The color attracts predators, but others come to his rescue. In the end, all the crabs want to be fabulous too. This is a fun book, but I'm not sure what the message is. The other crabs don't save him, he doesn't save himself. He encourages them to be more fabulous too. Overall a fun book with room for interpretation if you want to.

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I absolutely loved I mean LOVED reading this book to my 2 year old who loved all of the brightly colored illustrations, the sassiness of the Fabulous crab. There are some harder words in this book so young readers may need a bit of help to read this book but it's super cute and has a great lesson about just being unapologetically yourself even when others tell you that you shouldn't.

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This is a great children's book about learning it is okay to stand out and be who ever you want to be. I love hermit crabs and I love that this book features them! The art is beautiful and has a great message.

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Cute story about a flamboyant crab named Henry. The illustrations were lovely. My three year old daughter enjoyed it.

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A very cute and funny book about self-expression. The crab wanted to be shiny and sparkly, which at first seemed like it would get him into trouble, but then it all worked out. This crab remined me of Tamatoa from Moana.

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Honestly the rhyming and art of this book was fantastic. However it felt reading this as said by one of my children “it’s like reading the backstory of the crab in Moana” and that it did, it felt like the lost chapter and at any moment the crab would start singing “I’d rather be shiny”

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This is the story of a hermit crab named Henry who didn't like being the same as all of the other crabs. He wanted to be glitzy and fancy. The other hermit crabs thought that blending in was safer. After finding a sunken ship full of treasures, Henry glitzed himself up so much that he was unable to move and thus he put himself in danger. He was saved by an unexpected sea creature. Henry learned to express who he wanted to be by not overdoing it and his hermit crab friends learned that they did not all have to be the same and could add so glitz to their shells as well.

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This is the cutest and shiniest book you have ever seen!! This crab is trying to find what they like. When they are made fun of, they continue to find out what they like and be whoever they are!
I would recommend this as a read aloud in the classroom or to a child who is struggling with being bullied.

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This book has such a sweet and important message! With colorful illustrations and ocean animal characters, Nicki Greenberg connects with young readers. Through the use of rhymes, readers are engaged and my youngest found that she was learning new vocabulary. Henry wants more than being a drab crab and with the resources found around him, he decorates his shell to the dismay of his crab friends. Will they learn to accept him in his fabulousness? Thank you to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

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Henry the crab is tired of the same boring colors for himself and his kind and wants to be outstanding. When he finds piles of shiny treasure in a shipwreck he piles it on. An octopus reaches out but is scared away by a camera toting shark! Excellent colors and story! And it rhymes!
The illustrations by the author are fun, extravagant, brilliant, and delightful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Flyaway Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
@CBCBook #AustralianAuthor @AffirmPress

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Henry doesn't like being just another drab crab. Even though the other hermit crabs insist that there's a reason why they wear dull shells, he can't find happiness that way, so he reinvents himself as Fabulous Crab, and proceeds to decorate his shell with colorful, shiny objects both natural and man-made. And then just when it looks like the other crabs were right...Fabulous Crab turns out to have invented a whole new form of keeping safe!

While this could easily be framed as an LGBTQIA+ book, that's not the only message here. The story is much more about teaching kids that they don't have to be afraid to be themselves, and if they want to wear sparkles or bright colors, that's absolutely okay, regardless of gender identity. There's nothing to suggest that Fab Crab doesn't feel like a boy; he just really likes bling, and the other crabs are only worried that his style will get him eaten by predators. When that proves not to be the case, the other crabs realize that there's another way to be than their old-fashioned norm. It's affirming and fun, and the rhyme scheme is a delight.

Yes, you could view this as being about nontraditional gender expression. It may even be intentional. But the strength of this picture book is in the way it shows how Fabulous Crab learns to stand up and say what he likes and how he wants to dress - no matter what other people have to say about his fashion choices.

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Ebook received for free through NetGalley

I finally got a chance to read this book to my kids and it was adorably cute and read super well. We absolutely loved it and both elementary aged girls said it was epic. The grade four said “I want one about the fabulous octopus” while my grade two one simply wanted more. Thanks

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This is a really cute story that shows how nice it can be to stand out. The rhyming text is great for all ages, but much of the vocabulary is too advanced for the typical picture book audience.

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Oh my GOD. I absolutely LOVED this. In was such a fun way to say that you can be whoever you want to be, that you don't need to follow the crowd and listen when they push against you. And I LOVED the shark thinking it was an art installation! That absolutely had me laughing. This is such an important book!

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"I want glitter and glamor and drama and dash!
Swagger and spectacle! Dazzle and splash!"

Henry's life as a hermit crab means a dull, drab existence of trying NOT to be noticed. But, he's had enough. He begins attaching sparkly items to his shell, and once he starts, Henry cannot stop. Will his glittery collection get him into trouble? Find out in this fun undersea tale of letting your freak flag fly.

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I loved the rhyming test and the colorful pages. Great story for children about being true to yourself.

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Henry the hermit crab is tired of his dull, drab shell. He wants to sparkle and shine like many of the other sea creatures he sees around him, though the other crabs caution that dressing up his shell so that he doesn’t blend in might make him a target for hungry critters. Henry doesn’t heed the warning and covers his shell with trinkets and treasures. When a hungry octopus—and a shark—spy Henry and he realizes that the weight of his decorated shell has pinned him down, will he find that his choice was a mistake?

Young readers will enjoy the rhyming text and fun illustrations as they follow Henry’s journey to being himself and standing out from the crowd. It makes a great alternative to the traditional Rainbow Fish story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC to read and review.

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What a FABULOUS book! “I’m Fabulous Crab” is a light an easy going book, packed with color and exciting visuals with a great message to share. It’s reminiscent of The Rainbow fish, but with its own style. My son was so engrossed with Henry the Crab that he had me read the book again. It was a fun way to get him talking about being your own true self and learning to share and be kind to others, even if they look different than you. We look forward to reading this book again and again and sharing Henry’s story with others.

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