I have some news! I wrote a book about land hermit crabs for kids. It’s called “Crabnapped! A land hermit crab story”. You can pre-order the 28 x 20cm hardcover on my website.
“Crabnapped! A land hermit crab story” children’s book hardcover
I had the help of my great uncle Geoff Pike in coming up with character names. He was the artist and animator of the Louie the Fly cartoon and the creator of the Yowie Power world, including books. When choosing an illustrator I lucked out and struck gold with finding Anastasia Obrucicova. who is an amazing artist and has created some fantastic illustrations. At every illustration reveal I feel like a child at Christmas!
The book will be printed by Snapfish Australia however I am looking for a print-on-demand company in future. I love the feel and weight of hardcover but the book will also be published via Amazon self-publishing in paperback and eBook via Kindle. Any pre-orders receive a signed copy, a personal note and a dedication in the book. I will be donating some copies to local libraries and you will be able to request your library to order it in. I’d love to help change the fate of land hermit crabs that are seen as starter or throwaway pets by the pet industry.
They are tropical land hermit crabs and need stable temperature and humidity, enough substrate to moult in, places to hide, seashells to wear and diet and tank hygiene to make happy hermit crabs.
In 1976 when I was 5 I found a land hermit crab on the beach. My great-grandfather wrote a poem about the encounter. I wanted to take it home but he said it wouldn’t survive. A wise man indeed. Back in 1995, I saw them in Warrawong Pet Store and purchased two, then created a one-page website on my land hermit crabs and it changed my life forever. You can learn more about land hermit crabs and their care at the website below and at the Land Hermit Crab Owners Society that I founded (lhcos.org) and Crab Street Journal Magazine (crabstreetjournal.org) which is now run by Stacy Griffith and a team of moderators. Those websites contain so much information and the online Facebook group LHCOS are a wonderful support to new and advanced hermit crab owners. You can also learn about Hermit House – a not for profit organisation that is supporting captive breeding of land hermit crabs!
I will be donating my books to libraries and hope to do author talks in libraries and schools one day soon. Every purchase of Crabnapped will include a $2 donation to Hermit House.
“Crabnapped! A land hermit crab story” children’s book hardcover
