Crab Museum interview
How do you get kids excited about science? Make it about bums. I spoke to Crab Museum co-founder Bertie Suesat-Williams about his new bum-focussed kids book about evolution.
One of Margate’s best, most popular and strangest tourist attractions is the small but perfectly formed Crab Museum. Opened in 2021, it gives visitors an impressive insight into the lives of crabs, but also uses the topic and a hefty dose of humour to discuss wider topics, including climate change and the nature of truth.
A key crab fact that every visitor leaves with - especially if they have kids in tow - is that crabs poo from their chests. Next month, the museum takes things a step further with the publication of its new children’s book, A Natural History of Bums.
Beautifully illustrated by Inga Ziemele, the book sees a duo of crab narrators guide readers “from prehistoric patooties to modern mudchutes”. More than just a vessel for fart and poop gags, however, it explains why bums helped to create life on Earth as we know it and how vital they are to our existence.
Ahead of the book’s publication in June, its author and Crab Museum co-founder Bertie Suesat-Williams explains why he chose to explore evolution through the lens of bumholes (metaphorically) and how the museum has changed birthdays for him and his fellow directors forever.