It is scary to have to leave the safety of your home and find a new home. Hermit Crab realizes he has outgrown his shell and has to find a new one. While he is sorry to leave his friends and his familiar shell behind, he now sees the future as full of exciting possibilities.Ĭhildren 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.Ī House for Hermit Crab is a wonderful story. But this time he is not only bigger - he is more self confident.

Finally, the new house is perfect but now it, too, has become too small! Once again, Hermit Crab must move on.

To his happy surprise, all sorts of beautiful and useful undersea neighbors come to his aid and decorate and protect his home. The next one he finds is big enough - but depressingly bare. When he outgrows his first shell-house, he's a bit scared. Hermit Crab's problem is that he keeps outgrowing things.

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. 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.

A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle