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Who Would Win? #5
Lobster vs. Crab
What if a lobster and a crab had a fight? Who do you think would win? This nonfiction reader compares and contrasts two ferocious sea creatures. Readers will learn about each animal's anatomy, behavior, and more. Then compare and contrast the battling pair before finally discovering the winner! This nonfiction series is full of facts, photos, and realistic illustrations, and it includes a range of mammals, sea creatures, insects, and dinosaurs to satisfy all kinds of animal fans.
32 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2014
77 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Pallotta
239 books111 followersMy full name is Gerard Larry Pallotta but my mom always called me "Jerry". I was born on March 26, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts. My mom's name is Mary, and she came from a family of ten children. My dad's name is Joe, and he came from a family of five children. My grandparents were immigrants of Italian descent. I have the nicest parents in the world. They have always been unselfish and ready to help me, even today. I have four brothers and two sisters: Joey, David, Andrew, Danny, Cindy and Mickey. I have seventy-two first cousins. When I was growing up, there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 7, 2020
Holy Cow! These books are fun, yo! Animal battles! My 17 month old was having a tantrum and this book actually calmed him down! Also, a shocking ending! I put my money on the wrong crustacean! (Who won? Read and find out!)
July 6, 2015
Category/Genre: Easy Reader/Non-fiction
Estimate age level of interest: Grades 2-5
Estimated reading level: 3rd grade
Brief description: On the first page of this book students are prompted with an inquiry question where they predict who would win in a fight, a lobster or a crab? This book then continues to teach readers through images, graphics, and text about the different animals in great detail. In the end the reader learns which animal would win.
Identify two characteristics and explain how they are used in this book:
-Illustrations enhance text
The images and graphics used throughout this text are what make this text so wonderful. Students learn so much just by looking at these pictures and graphics scattered throughout! On one page it talks about the shapes of each animal’s claws and how they resemble the Washington Monument and the Capitol Dome, it then includes pictures of each of these. Additionally, on one page readers learn about where each animal is from and it includes maps with the highlighted regions. Just by looking at the pictures in this text students would be able to learn so much.
-Color is used to engage readers
There is so much color used throughout this text and each page has brightly colored fun fact bubbles that pop off the page. The text is not uniform so students spend a larger amount on each page reading through all of the fun fact bubbles and looking at the pictures in more detail to learn so much about each animal from every page.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience? This book does such a wonderful job of combining inquiry and engagement. Students will learn so much from all of the facts and information throughout this book but the color and fun topic will keep them engaged. What I love most about this book is that it opens up with a simple inquiry question that causes readers to question, and think in more detail about everything they are reading to try and figure out which animal will win in the end. This is such a wonderful series that students of many ages will be interested in and love!
Awards: N/a
Reviews: ***Unfortunately, after searching TitleWave and many other websites I was unable to find any professional reviews of this book. All I could find were regular customer reviews on Amazon books. I don’t have an Ingram account, perhaps there are some on there that I couldn’t access?
Estimate age level of interest: Grades 2-5
Estimated reading level: 3rd grade
Brief description: On the first page of this book students are prompted with an inquiry question where they predict who would win in a fight, a lobster or a crab? This book then continues to teach readers through images, graphics, and text about the different animals in great detail. In the end the reader learns which animal would win.
Identify two characteristics and explain how they are used in this book:
-Illustrations enhance text
The images and graphics used throughout this text are what make this text so wonderful. Students learn so much just by looking at these pictures and graphics scattered throughout! On one page it talks about the shapes of each animal’s claws and how they resemble the Washington Monument and the Capitol Dome, it then includes pictures of each of these. Additionally, on one page readers learn about where each animal is from and it includes maps with the highlighted regions. Just by looking at the pictures in this text students would be able to learn so much.
-Color is used to engage readers
There is so much color used throughout this text and each page has brightly colored fun fact bubbles that pop off the page. The text is not uniform so students spend a larger amount on each page reading through all of the fun fact bubbles and looking at the pictures in more detail to learn so much about each animal from every page.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience? This book does such a wonderful job of combining inquiry and engagement. Students will learn so much from all of the facts and information throughout this book but the color and fun topic will keep them engaged. What I love most about this book is that it opens up with a simple inquiry question that causes readers to question, and think in more detail about everything they are reading to try and figure out which animal will win in the end. This is such a wonderful series that students of many ages will be interested in and love!
Awards: N/a
Reviews: ***Unfortunately, after searching TitleWave and many other websites I was unable to find any professional reviews of this book. All I could find were regular customer reviews on Amazon books. I don’t have an Ingram account, perhaps there are some on there that I couldn’t access?
August 28, 2025
I learned a lot of facts about lobsters and crabs and in the very, very, very back of the book — the last couple of pages have the fight between the two to see who would win. Super super informative.
——
Lobster: 🦞
Crustaceans animal family, lobsters have a muscular tail, lobster‘s teeth are in its stomach.
Spiny lobster – from Caribbean, is spiky but has no claws
Pink spotted prawn – you are a shrimp, not eat lobster.
Shovel – nosed lobster
American lobster – two claws. “homarus americanus”. Lives off America’s north east (from North Carolina’s coastline up) and Canada’s East Coast. Largest was about 3 feet long and weighed 44 pounds. Can be found in shallow water close to shore or in deep water miles out. A lobster’s head and thorax is one piece. It’s called a cephalothorax. A lobster has eight legs, just like a spider and a scorpion. The lobster feeds itself with its four front legs. The American lobster has five flaps at the end of its tail. On land, lobsters cannot walk well. The front two legs on each side have pincers on them.
Lobster parts: scissor claw (sharp, quick, skinny), mouth, antennae, eye, crusher claw (dull, slower, stronger, wider), knuckle, feeding legs, legs, tail. Either claw can be on either side.
Gender. The crusher claw of a male lobster is bigger and wider than a female crusher claw. The flaps under the tail are called swimmerettes. A male lobster has a hard shell of the top swimmerettes. Female lobsters have a smaller, string like top swimmerettes. Female lobster tails are wider than male lobster tails. (Swimmerettes are the little things that come off of the tail after the legs. So if you look at the top one, if the top one is really skinny, it’s a female if the top one is bigger or harder than that one is a male.)
Lobster bait – caught by traps (also called lobster pots). Traps are baited with fish, heads, fish, guts, and fish bones. Lobstermen also set their traps with deer hides, hot dogs, chicken, necks, steak, bones, roadkill. They use a buoy to mark their gear.
Lobsters have an exoskeleton which they molt and eat their old shell afterwards. The younger a lobster is, the more it malts hard shell – a lobster with a hard shell. Soft shell – a recently melted lobster whose shell is delicate.
Female lobster with eggs is called an egger or a seeder. She carries the eggs, which are green, under her tail attached to her body and swimmerettes. Out of 50,000 eggs it is estimated that only 2 grow up to be as large as their mother. One day after hatching, about half the eggs, get eaten by fish and other predators. The eggs turn light, orange and hatch. The Mom lobster carries between 3,000 and 75,000 eggs.
Lobsters can’t see well. They have antennae that sense vibrations in the water. They have a great sense of smell. Keeper is a lobster large enough to legally keep. Chicken lobster – is a keeper lobster that weighs under 1 pound. Cull – is a lobster with only one claw. V – not tail is a female lobster that has been noted by the department of fisheries and cannot be kept. To measure a lobster you use a lobster gauge and measure from the eye socket to the end of its head. In most states, the head must be 3 1/4 inches long to be a keeper.
Do you have spikes all over their shelf so they are armored and ready for a battle. Spikes on the nose, spikes on the tail, spikes on the knuckles. A lobster can curl its tail and cut your fingers or hand. Lobsters use their claws to defend themselves against fish and other creatures.
Lobster dishes: boiled lobster, baked stuffed lobster, lobster Thermidor, lobster bisque, lobster taco, lobster Newburg, lobster macaroni and cheese.
Crabs: 🦀
Have eight legs and two claws
Dungeness crab – famous in San Francisco, Francisco, and on the West Coast. Rubbery shell.
Alaskan king crab – six legs, popular in restaurants all over the world
Horseshoe crab – not a regular crab, prehistoric
Blue crab – best known crab in the world, maybe the best tasting. “Callinectes sapidus”. (beautiful savory swimmer). A blue crab can’t bite with its mouth. A grinding meal inside its body chews its food. A blue crab does not have a tail. They are known as swimming crabs. Largest was 1 foot wide and weighed a little more than 1 pound. Most often found from the South Shore of Cape Cod in Massachusetts all the way down to the Texas – Mexico border. Chesapeake Bay is one of the most famous places for blue crabs. (Chesapeake Bay is an estuary. An estuary is where the ocean meets the river. More than 150 rivers and streams empty into the Chesapeake Bay.) blue crabs love shallow, brackish water. (Brackish water is part salt and part freshwater.)
A blue crab‘s body is one piece. Its shell is called a Carapace. A blue crab walks and runs sideways. A soldier crab is one of the few crabs that walks forward. Last pair of legs on a blue crab are shaped like fins – these are the swimming legs. They can swim well and our great runners and can run fast on land.
Crab parts: claws/pincers, eyes, antenna, carapace, walking legs, swimming legs.
Gender – there’s a flap on the underside between their eight legs which is called an apron or a leaf. The girls one is shaped like the dome of the capitol building. And they have red tips on their claws. A she–crab is a young female crab. Boy crabs have a skinny leaf shaped more like the Washington monument.
Caught by crab pots, trotlines, and by a dip net. Crabbers that fish with trot lines usually use chicken necks for bait. Kids catch blue crabs by dangling bait on a string and scooping crabs up with a nut. Some crab traps are only the size of a loaf of bread. Crabs love fresh bait: chicken, fish, steak or any meat works well.
Crabs have an exoskeleton that they molt to grow larger. A peeler is a crab about to shed. It’s shell. A hard shell is a crab that is not molting and has a hard shell. A soft shell is a crab that has just shed it show. A crustacean that molts is vulnerable to predators in its soft state.
A sponger is a female crab with eggs. The leaf is full of eggs. Scientist think there are up to 2 million eggs in a large blue crab.
Crabs can’t see well. They have a great sense of smell and their antennae can sense motion. Sook is a mature, female blue crab. A Jimmy is a male blue crab. A crab has sharp points around its body predators can’t easily swallow it. Most crabs do not have swimming legs. To measure a crab you use a crab gauge. You measure the crab from point to point, from side to side. In most cases, a crab must be at least 5 inches long to be a keeper.
Crab dishes : crabcakes, frogmore stew, crab étouffée, garlic crab, she-crab soup, crab scrambled eggs, blue crab in old bay seasoning.
——
Lobster: 🦞
Crustaceans animal family, lobsters have a muscular tail, lobster‘s teeth are in its stomach.
Spiny lobster – from Caribbean, is spiky but has no claws
Pink spotted prawn – you are a shrimp, not eat lobster.
Shovel – nosed lobster
American lobster – two claws. “homarus americanus”. Lives off America’s north east (from North Carolina’s coastline up) and Canada’s East Coast. Largest was about 3 feet long and weighed 44 pounds. Can be found in shallow water close to shore or in deep water miles out. A lobster’s head and thorax is one piece. It’s called a cephalothorax. A lobster has eight legs, just like a spider and a scorpion. The lobster feeds itself with its four front legs. The American lobster has five flaps at the end of its tail. On land, lobsters cannot walk well. The front two legs on each side have pincers on them.
Lobster parts: scissor claw (sharp, quick, skinny), mouth, antennae, eye, crusher claw (dull, slower, stronger, wider), knuckle, feeding legs, legs, tail. Either claw can be on either side.
Gender. The crusher claw of a male lobster is bigger and wider than a female crusher claw. The flaps under the tail are called swimmerettes. A male lobster has a hard shell of the top swimmerettes. Female lobsters have a smaller, string like top swimmerettes. Female lobster tails are wider than male lobster tails. (Swimmerettes are the little things that come off of the tail after the legs. So if you look at the top one, if the top one is really skinny, it’s a female if the top one is bigger or harder than that one is a male.)
Lobster bait – caught by traps (also called lobster pots). Traps are baited with fish, heads, fish, guts, and fish bones. Lobstermen also set their traps with deer hides, hot dogs, chicken, necks, steak, bones, roadkill. They use a buoy to mark their gear.
Lobsters have an exoskeleton which they molt and eat their old shell afterwards. The younger a lobster is, the more it malts hard shell – a lobster with a hard shell. Soft shell – a recently melted lobster whose shell is delicate.
Female lobster with eggs is called an egger or a seeder. She carries the eggs, which are green, under her tail attached to her body and swimmerettes. Out of 50,000 eggs it is estimated that only 2 grow up to be as large as their mother. One day after hatching, about half the eggs, get eaten by fish and other predators. The eggs turn light, orange and hatch. The Mom lobster carries between 3,000 and 75,000 eggs.
Lobsters can’t see well. They have antennae that sense vibrations in the water. They have a great sense of smell. Keeper is a lobster large enough to legally keep. Chicken lobster – is a keeper lobster that weighs under 1 pound. Cull – is a lobster with only one claw. V – not tail is a female lobster that has been noted by the department of fisheries and cannot be kept. To measure a lobster you use a lobster gauge and measure from the eye socket to the end of its head. In most states, the head must be 3 1/4 inches long to be a keeper.
Do you have spikes all over their shelf so they are armored and ready for a battle. Spikes on the nose, spikes on the tail, spikes on the knuckles. A lobster can curl its tail and cut your fingers or hand. Lobsters use their claws to defend themselves against fish and other creatures.
Lobster dishes: boiled lobster, baked stuffed lobster, lobster Thermidor, lobster bisque, lobster taco, lobster Newburg, lobster macaroni and cheese.
Crabs: 🦀
Have eight legs and two claws
Dungeness crab – famous in San Francisco, Francisco, and on the West Coast. Rubbery shell.
Alaskan king crab – six legs, popular in restaurants all over the world
Horseshoe crab – not a regular crab, prehistoric
Blue crab – best known crab in the world, maybe the best tasting. “Callinectes sapidus”. (beautiful savory swimmer). A blue crab can’t bite with its mouth. A grinding meal inside its body chews its food. A blue crab does not have a tail. They are known as swimming crabs. Largest was 1 foot wide and weighed a little more than 1 pound. Most often found from the South Shore of Cape Cod in Massachusetts all the way down to the Texas – Mexico border. Chesapeake Bay is one of the most famous places for blue crabs. (Chesapeake Bay is an estuary. An estuary is where the ocean meets the river. More than 150 rivers and streams empty into the Chesapeake Bay.) blue crabs love shallow, brackish water. (Brackish water is part salt and part freshwater.)
A blue crab‘s body is one piece. Its shell is called a Carapace. A blue crab walks and runs sideways. A soldier crab is one of the few crabs that walks forward. Last pair of legs on a blue crab are shaped like fins – these are the swimming legs. They can swim well and our great runners and can run fast on land.
Crab parts: claws/pincers, eyes, antenna, carapace, walking legs, swimming legs.
Gender – there’s a flap on the underside between their eight legs which is called an apron or a leaf. The girls one is shaped like the dome of the capitol building. And they have red tips on their claws. A she–crab is a young female crab. Boy crabs have a skinny leaf shaped more like the Washington monument.
Caught by crab pots, trotlines, and by a dip net. Crabbers that fish with trot lines usually use chicken necks for bait. Kids catch blue crabs by dangling bait on a string and scooping crabs up with a nut. Some crab traps are only the size of a loaf of bread. Crabs love fresh bait: chicken, fish, steak or any meat works well.
Crabs have an exoskeleton that they molt to grow larger. A peeler is a crab about to shed. It’s shell. A hard shell is a crab that is not molting and has a hard shell. A soft shell is a crab that has just shed it show. A crustacean that molts is vulnerable to predators in its soft state.
A sponger is a female crab with eggs. The leaf is full of eggs. Scientist think there are up to 2 million eggs in a large blue crab.
Crabs can’t see well. They have a great sense of smell and their antennae can sense motion. Sook is a mature, female blue crab. A Jimmy is a male blue crab. A crab has sharp points around its body predators can’t easily swallow it. Most crabs do not have swimming legs. To measure a crab you use a crab gauge. You measure the crab from point to point, from side to side. In most cases, a crab must be at least 5 inches long to be a keeper.
Crab dishes : crabcakes, frogmore stew, crab étouffée, garlic crab, she-crab soup, crab scrambled eggs, blue crab in old bay seasoning.
October 14, 2018
A great book for curious kids. I love how the book actually shows kids the varieties of crabs and lobsters and then picks out a specific type of each for the fight. It explains the reasoning and then has a compare and contrast of all of the skills. At the end, it doesn't seem like an even fight, but it is very informative. I know my nephews will love this.
January 1, 2021
My seven year-old writes this review:
The best book was Lobster vs. Crab and lobster had the biggest claw (the crusher claw) and the smallest claw (which is called the scissor claw). I really liked the ending when the lobster and crab started to fight and the lobster swooped out of the rock and attacked the crab. *Spoiler alert* the crab dies... 🎶dun dun dun🎶.
The best book was Lobster vs. Crab and lobster had the biggest claw (the crusher claw) and the smallest claw (which is called the scissor claw). I really liked the ending when the lobster and crab started to fight and the lobster swooped out of the rock and attacked the crab. *Spoiler alert* the crab dies... 🎶dun dun dun🎶.
April 17, 2024
Informational
Lobster vs. crab has wonderful illustrations. It states facts about both in simple, extremely unstable terms and a reader is sure to learn something from reading this. Quick read, more illustrations than information. I like that it asks the reader who they think would win instead of staying the author's opinion.
Lobster vs. crab has wonderful illustrations. It states facts about both in simple, extremely unstable terms and a reader is sure to learn something from reading this. Quick read, more illustrations than information. I like that it asks the reader who they think would win instead of staying the author's opinion.
May 2, 2021
Barely any fact! and there is nothing wrong with the other types of lobsters and crabs!! It is an interesting scenario to consider but we need more fact if there will be animal battles in children's books.
December 31, 2020
Sixth book for me. I enjoyed it. I learned a lot. I didn't find errors. I never knew most of this stuff. AND it broke the mold!
April 11, 2021
Always a favorite read.
June 27, 2021
Another interesting one.
October 12, 2022
excellent book
Both informational and fun to learn with picture. I read most of his books. All of them are loaded with info.
Both informational and fun to learn with picture. I read most of his books. All of them are loaded with info.
December 5, 2022
This book was amazing, I learned a lot and knew the winner!
April 16, 2024
This one wasn’t as exciting as some of the others we have read in the series, but still, great educational fun!
April 29, 2021
Lobster won.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews