LOBSTERS: Gangsters of the Sea

by Mary M. Cerullo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1994

All about the crustacean ""called 'the gangster of the sea' because it is aggressive and territorial by nature"": its anatomy, life cycle, courtship, and breeding; and about lobstering: its history and lore, trapping, and marketing. Cerullo's unusually detailed text is spiced with plenty of the odd facts that spur further inquiry -- e.g., in colonial times, lobsters were ""'poverty food'...served to children, to prisoners, and to indentured servants."" Now big business, they have been studied extensively; the author interviews scientists who describe their growth, migration, and senses (lobsters have antennules with over 400 chemoreceptors ""sensitive enough to distinguish between a horse mussel and a blue mussel"") and reports on humane cooking methods, concluding, ""according to modern science, a few minutes in the freezer means less agony in the kettle."" The vivid color photos are often intriguing: month-old lobsters cupped in a human hand with a penny for size perspective; rare blue lobsters; a close-up of feathery sensory hairs. A fine science title, attractive and entertaining. Bibliography; index.

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1994

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Cobblehill

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1994

Categories: CHILDREN'S