Customer Reviews

A House for Hermit Crab (Stories to Go!)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A little hermit crab must find a new home and discovers new friends and possiblities in the process. The book has lots of other goodies such as different sea creatures to count,colors,names of the month and is a nice tie-in to a beginning marine life book if you want to explore that too. You can read this one many times and still enjoy !

...And that it is what this book is teaching children. No matter where you go or what new situations you might face, there are always new and exciting possibilities to which one should look forward. On another level, it is an endearing story about a growing hermit crab, illustrated with the typically spectacular Eric Carle drawings. My 5 1/2 year old daughter loves ALL his books!

My 3.5 year old son loves this book - we are typically reading it at least twice a day. I love that there is a since of time involved, as each page covers a month in the year. Great for a preschooler who is just learning to get a grip on the calendar. The hermit crab forms symbiotic relationships with other sea creatures; another great lesson. Also super fun to read out load with lots of opportunities to "do" the different voices. There is a glossary in back - perhaps a little advanced for a 3 yr old, but I enjoyed that the first time I read through the book - it will be good when my son is a little older. I like that, although our hermit crab has to eventually leave his friends behind in search of a new home, he is able to pass along his old home to a younger crab. All this with the style of illustrations that we have all come to love in eric Carle books, makes this one a big winner!

This hermit is great. He wants to make his home(shell) more homey so he finds friends(sea stars...) and things to help him in his quest. Soon he grows to big for the place he has made so comfortable. Unfortunately nobody likes change but it often occurs and this hermit crab helps children understand that it is going to happen, but you can make the best of it. Carles crab turns the sad situation of losind something that he loves into a great new adventure of decorating a whole new shell. This situatio can be related to many life experiences and may help children to relate.

This book is so good - and a wonderful allegory for anybody facing a life change. A child will enjoy the simple story of a hermit crab looking to decorate his shell, and all the creatures who agree to help him. But the sub-context of change - and greeting it with enthusiasm - is what draws me to this book. I plan on buying it for my son when he enters kindergarten this fall, and will give it to others who will be facing similar challenges.

I love the way the hermit crab decorates his house and then asks for the new owner to take care of it as he moves on to a larger house which he will decorate, too. Eric Carle's collage is so colorful and fun. For hermit crab lovers P.HERMIT CLAIMS A CASTLE joins the books on this subject with a little different twist, an enrironmental message that marine creatures belong in their natural habitat. It is different because P. Hermit has to face a fantasy world outside his habitat interfacing with some turtles before he finds the home of his dreams in his natural habitat. But it has a place in the library with all the wonderful hermit crabs like Eric Carle's wonderful house decorator.

In the spring my niece bought a hermit crab for her three children (no pets allowed where they live). With it she bought a larger shell for the future. It is hand painted in red, white, and blue. Since then the hermit crab moved out of his original house into his patriotic one. She also bought this book to go with the actual living, breathing hermit crab.

"A House for Hermit Crab" is another in the line of books by Eric Carle, featuring bright colors, imaginative design, repetitive patterns, and educational stories that so appeal to children.

Let's count the ways that this book is highly recommended:

1. Bold, vivid colors

2. Twelve calendar months to suggest time and life patterns that correspond with the passing of time

3. Life cycle of hermit crabs: I didn't know anything about them until my niece bought one and this book. I certainly didn't know they had to find their own houses!

4. Unspoken support for recycling! How many times is a hermit's crab house re-used after the snail stops its use and crabs take over?

5. The concept of continuous change and having a positive attitude toward change.

6. Taking the simple and making it your own, through decoration in this case.

7. Carle's explanation of hermit crabs on the title page and a glossary in the back for the various creatures the crab meets on his year-long journey.

My goodness, this book is awesome! My heart swells for the life of a simple hermit crab. This book celebrates him!

You will enjoy reading about this crab who takes his time in selecting just the right house. "A House for Hermit Crab" encourages reasoning and thinking skills for the young listener (aged 2-6). This book will help give your Eric Carle library a new protective shell.

This is a nice story and I thoroughly enjoyed it but I have to say that my two children (3 and 5) did not.

I think what kept them from appreciating this book was that it was a) a bit long, and b) a little over their heads. Certainly for an Eric Carle book there is alot of text. Some pages having over 75 words.

Now, certainly we are talking about two children out of the many described here, so I wouldn't necessarily be discouraged from buying this book if your kids can sit down for a fairly long read. But from our point of view (which is the purpose of a review afterall) we will have to wait until later to enjoy "A House for Hermit Crab".

Three stars. Long with esoteric content.

This is a tiny book. It is too small for little hands. It won't stay open. For a book on the go, I would recommend a board book.