This delightful edition, titled simply The Curious Lobster, collects in one volume all of the classic Mr. Lobster stories, originally published in The Curious Lobster (1935) and The Curious Lobster's Island (1939). Teacher and author Richard W. Hatch's reissued work includes the original detailed black-and-white engravings by Marion Freeman Wakeman.
Mr. Lobster, bored after 68 years of the same daily routine, ventures onto land because he is inquisitive and wants to know everything about the world above the ocean floor. Mr. Badger is a very smart, natural leader, who is able quickly to master skills like sailing a boat. He is also a great trickster. Mr. Bear is a bit lazy and preoccupied with food; he had been a circus performer earlier in life and now doesn't really want difficulties or adventure. The three, with their very different personalities, become friends, occasionally behaving like the animals they are, but usually acting like the very civilized beings they aspire to be. (Mr. Bear even has a window in his cabin and fries his fish.) They take turns saving each other from various mishaps on the New England coast and an offshore island, and always proclaim themselves "heroes." The trio repeatedly proves that friendship and teamwork make life worth living, and that "nothing makes people so happy as to rescue someone."
Hatch writes in a soothing, quietly humorous, style that works for adults and children of varied ages and Wakeman's illustrations match the calming qualities of the text. The Curious Lobster is a perfect bedtime family read aloud or a read-alone for a rainy day at a beachside cottage. --Melinda Greenblatt, freelance book reviewer