Captain Crab: The Adventure Begins

Captain Crab:
The Adventure Begins

By Chris and Lindsay Hodge
Illustrated by


Once upon a time there was a little Crab. He dreamed of sailing on a ship like the ones that he watched from his home on the beach.

Every day he'd watch the ships sail in and out of the port. The sailors would load and unload cargo that would be sold in ports around the world. The little crab dreamed of the adventures he could have.

His favorite ship to watch was “The Luck of the Ocean.” The captain of that ship was always smiling, and the crew was always laughing and singing.

One day, just before The Luck of the Ocean was about to leave port, the little crab decided that he was going to get on that ship. The little crab crawled across the bay floor as quick as his legs could carry him. He climbed up the anchor, and up, up, up the rope, through the haweshole, and hid behind a barrel.

The crew soon finished loading their cargo and set sail.

For days the little crab would look through a port hole and see the waves rise and fall. He could hear the sailors above calling,

“Swab the deck!”

“Hoist the mainsail!”

“Make sure the riggings!”

Crab learned all about sailing from listening to the sailors. Little crab would sneak about and try to stay out of sight. He had heard that stowaways had to walk the plank!

One day, a huge storm blew in. The little crab was worried! The waves kept rushing in through the cargo hatch, and the boat was rocking back and forth so hard! Sometimes little crab couldn't tell which way was up!

Little crab thought that he might be able to help so he made his way topside. Just as the little crab reached the top of the stairs, he saw the captain about to fall over board. Little crab pinched the corner of the captains coat with one claw and a rope with the other. He closed his eyes and held on tight!

Just then, the wind stopped and the storm broke. Blue sky peaked through the clouds above. The waves were still pretty big, but the sailors breathed a sigh of relief. They knew the worst of the storm was over.

The captain looked around to see what or who had kept him from going overboard. “Look here mateys! We've got a little piece of luck sailing with us!” The captain held up his coat tails to show his crew the little crab that was still holding on!

“Let's call him Lucky!” shouted one of the crew. And so they did.

From then on, Lucky got to ride on the Captain's shoulder. The crew always gave Lucky bits of coconut and seaweed, and every now and again, the crew would call him Captain Crab

Lucky thought that nothing could ever go wrong again! That was until the day The Luck of the Ocean ran into a bit of trouble!



Read more about Lucky and his crew in their next book,
Captain Crab: The Pirate Problem

Coming soon!