Lobster’s Vacation

In Lobster’s Vacation an animal fantasy told in brief rhyme, readers follow a lobster who is first seen in its natural ocean environment before being caught in a lobster pot and then transferred to a cooking pot from which it escapes. Free, the lobster decides to go on holiday. Robinson’s poetry identifies the lobster’s vacation activities while Hammond’s largely double-page spreads show where these events are occurring. Despite all the fun lobster enjoys, a case of homesickness sees him returning to his ocean home and his undersea friends.

Nimbus is a Halifax-based publisher and, while the book’s setting could be any coastal community, Nova Scotians will recognize from the details in Hammond’s art that the lobster is holidaying locally. Though Lobster’s Vacation is a quick read, Hammond’s colourful illustrations are quite detailed, and readers might wish to linger over them in subsequent rereadings.