Full Text Review(s)
"Muted watercolors evoke the water and beaches of Delaware Bay as horseshoe crabs make their annual pilgrimage out of the ocean and onto dark sands to lay billions of eggs. These eggs form the center of a food web, as migrating shorebirds stop for a feast, and fish and other animals feed on the eggs as well. Herons come by and eat the fish attracted to the eggs, a falcon catches a shorebird, and the chain expands. Humans impact on it when two boys race onto the beach to play, righting overturned crabs so they can crawl back into the water. A brief author’s note explains the dramatic drop in horseshoe crab populations and the reasons behind it. Crenson’s text is highly descriptive and reads like an adventure story, conveying the action and excitement of nature. Cannon’s watercolors fill the pages with atmosphere and motion. Smaller paintings set into some pages provide extra interest and detail. This is a story of connections and cycles in nature, and it brings a scientific concept to life."

"In picture-book format, this volume presents a particular food web in the Delaware Bay. The story begins with the spring journey of horseshoe crabs to mate and lay their eggs on the beach, and the parallel migration of shorebirds from South America to the Artic, stopping to feed on the eggs. Meanwhile a peregrine falcon preys on the birds; minnows, crabs, and a heron feast on the eggs; and more birds attack stranded horseshoe crabs. Finally, some of the eggs hatch, continuing the cycle that will lead to another spring’s mating, nesting, and feasting. Attractive as well as informative, Cannon’s paintings offer close-up views of the action. Crenson’s narrative approach will not suit every young researcher, but her text gives a good idea of how the food web operates in a specific locale. And perhaps all ecology, like all politics, is local."