P is for Pea Crab.
“You may find a small crab inside of an oyster. They are called pea crabs, which may live inside an oyster for their whole life. A pea crab gets food from the oyster and can be eaten with the oyster. It is considered good luck to find and eat a pea crab!”
That is one of 26 fascinating factoids that readers of the new book “ABCs of Oystering on the Chesapeake Bay” will learn. The book by two local educators is set for publication December 9.
The book’s author, Susan Swift, said that the letter P is her favorite description.
The book’s artist, Heather Cockrell, said her favorite illustration is for “O is for Oystermen.” Her artwork shows a waterman and their basset hound, Fred. Her husband, Nick, is an engineer on one of Ocean Harvester's fish boats.
This is the second book in a series by the two friends and educators. The first was “ABCs of Crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay,” published in July 2024. A third book, “ABCs of Menhaden Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay,” is planned.
Susan Swift, right, wrote the new book “ABCs of Oystering on the Chesapeake Bay,” illustrated by Heather Cockrell, left.
Swift is librarian at Northumberland Elementary School. Cockrell is art teacher at Northumberland Middle School. The two are active in Alpha Delta Kappa, an altruistic sorority for women in education. They also are members of the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum.
Shauna McCranie, the museum’s Executive Director, wrote as part of an intro to the new book: “As a board member of the Virginia Oyster Trail, I am certainly an advocate for oysters...I know children and parents alike will learn something new about everyone’s favorite mollusk.”
Swift said, “It started as a children’s book but became a book for anybody. We market it for any age.”
Cockrell and Swift have a deep appreciation for the heritage of watermen on the bay.
Swift has lived on the Northern Neck for 36 years. Her husband, Keith, is a fourth-generation waterman. In season he works for Reedville Bait Co., catching menhaden fish used for bait. He crabs in the spring and oysters in the winter. Their son, Zach, worked the water in summers and college breaks.
Cockrell’s husband, Nick, is engineer on one of Ocean Harvester’s fish boats. Both she and her husband were born and raised on the Northern Neck.
“It feels really good to publish something that represents our community that hopefully will be around for along time,” said Cockrell.
The women fronted the investment for their first book. This one is sponsored by W.E. Kellum Seafood in Weems, a family-owned business since 1948, which has local seafood outlets and ships seafood across the United States.
Both books are published by Belle Isle Books, an imprint of Brandylane Publishers Inc. Cover price is $26.95 for hardback and $15.95 for soft cover.
Among the local outlets are: the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum gift shop and Fawn’s in Reedville; Lilian’s She Shed in Burgess; Pink Lemon and Miss Mary’s Seafood in White Stone; Tides Inn and Kellum’s in Irvington; River Birch in Middlesex; and The Bookshelf on Church in Kilmarnock.
It will be listed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble's website.
Their book is one of two featured at a book talk and signing held by the museum at the Fairfields Volunteer Fire Department on February 2 at 6:30pm. They are available for other book signings and can be reached by e-mail: sswift@nucps.net and hcockrell@nucps.net.
