A House for Hermit Crab

by Eric Carle, Eric Carle (Illustrator)

Overview

Eric Carle's magnificent collage illustrations invite readers and viewers on a breathtaking underwater tour where brilliantly-colored sea creatures dazzle and delight the eye. His modern-day fable is both wise and simple; based on the true habits of the hermit crab, it not only introduces young readers to the wonder and beauty of the marine environment but also contains an encouraging message for small children facing the inevitable challenges of growing up.
Hermit Crab's problem is that he keeps outgrowing things. When he outgrows his first shell-house, he's a bit scared. The next one he finds is big enough — but depressingly bare. To his happy surprise, all sorts of beautiful and useful undersea neighbors come to his aid and decorate and protect his home. Finally, the new house is perfect but now it, too, has become too small! Once again, Hermit Crab must move on. But this time he is not only bigger — he is more self confident. While he is sorry to leave his friends and his familiar shell behind, he now sees the future as full of exciting possibilities.
Children who must change schools, move to a new town, or even just be promoted to a higher grade will empathize with Hermit Crab's situation, and will take heart as they see that growing up is not really so alarming after all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887080562
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	08/20/1991
Series:	World of Eric Carle Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.37(w) x 11.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Eric Carle is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of more than seventy books for very young children including his most well-known title The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Born in Syracuse, New York, Eric Carle moved to Germany with his parents when he was six years old. He studied at the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Künste, in Stuttgart before returning to the United States, where he worked as a graphic designer for The New York Times and later as art director for an international advertising agency. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, now considered a modern classic, has sold more than 41 million copies and has been translated into sixty-two languages. With his late wife, Barbara, Eric Carle cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts in 2002. Eric Carle divides his time between the Florida Keys and the hills of North Carolina.

Eric Carle is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of more than seventy books for very young children including his most well-known title The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Born in Syracuse, New York, Eric Carle moved to Germany with his parents when he was six years old. He studied at the prestigious art school, the Akademie der bildenden Künste, in Stuttgart before returning to the United States, where he worked as a graphic designer for The New York Times and later as art director for an international advertising agency. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, now considered a modern classic, has sold more than 41 million copies and has been translated into sixty-two languages. With his late wife, Barbara, Eric Carle cofounded The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Massachusetts in 2002. Eric Carle divides his time between the Florida Keys and the hills of North Carolina.

Hometown:

Northampton, Massachusetts and the Berkshires

Date of Birth:

June 25, 1929

Place of Birth:

Syracuse, New York

Education:

Akademie der bildenden Künste, Stuttgart, 1946-50

Website:

http://www.eric-carle.com/

Editorial Reviews

A note at the beginning states that the hermit crab protects his soft abdomen by borrowing a shell to live in. Here, Hermit Crab moves from a shell that is too small to a larger shell. He then decorates his new home with friendly sea creatures. In March he picks a sea anemone and puts it on his shell. In April he acquires a sea star. In May he adds a piece of coral In June a snail is added to his shell. In July a sea urchin is placed near his shell. In September a lanternfish is willing to swim near the shell and light things up. In October Hermit Crab arranges pebbles around his house for a wall. In the following months he grows too big for his shell, finds a larger shell, and gives his decorated house to a smaller crab. He looks forward to decorating his new house. The brightly colored pictures are created by collage and finger paint. At the end further information is given about the various creatures mentioned. Children will learn the months and information about sea creatures while they enjoy this paperback edition of a classic with a CD of the story being read aloud. Reviewer: Carlee Hallman

Children's Literature - Carlee Hallman