WHEN Marge Caine’s 80th birthday turned up she decided to celebrate the occasion by publishing her first-ever book – Connie the Crab.
She was taking part in a University of the Third Age (U3A) art group course, via Zoom because of COVID when the topic to paint one week was a seascape.
“I’m no good at seascapes or any kind of scape, so I decided a crab would just have to do,” said Marge, of Lymm.
Thus was born “Connie the Crab Queen” and Marge became so fond of her she decided to spend the lockdown writing and illustrating a book about her.
Now “Connie the Crab Queen of Colwyn Bay” is on sale for £12.99, with all proceeds going to the Marine Conservation Society, a small charity doing a huge job cleaning up the seas and shores around the UK. The book is aimed at children aged 4-9 and Grandma’s and is full of Marge’s beautiful, colourful pictures and easy-to-follow story.
Connie is a kind and caring crab who worries about the baby crabs and other sea creatures not surviving in the unhealthy environment created by people leaving litter on beaches.
There are lots of pictures of Connie and her friends, Sammy the Shrimp, Claude the Crab and handsome Prince Carlos who asks Connie to marry him.
There is also a section with facts about crabs, written by marine biologist.
Aim of the book is raise awareness about the need to keep beaches safe for children and for sea creatures.
Marge said: “I was given so much encouragement by the Lymm U3A art group , friends and family, to publish Connie because it concerns the very real issues of today. It was around the time of my 80th birthday so I decided to take the plunge and publish my first-ever book.”
The book is available from Tell Tale Books, Long Barn Local Centre, Padgate, Warrington.
