H is for A House for Hermit Crab: Library Notes


My plan was to write about Little House on the Prairies but due to the passing of Eric Carle, I wanted to feature one of my favourites of the books he wrote: A House for Hermit Crab.

This would be perfect to read for a child interested in the beach and/or sea life.  Some species are aquatic but many require both land and water to survive.  

The colours in this book lend themselves to water painting or colouring activities.

The story goes through changes that take place for each of the months of the year.  Create a big calendar and draw or paste on pictures of the changes that occur for the crab each month.  Practice putting the months of the year in order.  Do a memory activity by matching the change to the correct month.

Hermit Crab needs a new house.  Talk about moving to a new home and about his ideas to decorate his home.  What would you do?

The move was a bit scary for him.  He walked out of his shell into the big open sea. Talk about how he managed his fear and/or about what frightens us.

By outgrowing his home, Hermit Crab was forced to move on to the next stage in life.  He was growing and had to try new things and expand his world.  This is a good book for someone starting a new school year or a new challenge too.  It shows the potential for good things to come as we move on, such as new friends, after the initial moments that can be intimidating.

As Hermit Crab meets others and appreciates their qualities, he speaks to them and they become friends.  It is important to notice the good things in others and the good they can bring into our lives. It is important to speak with others and invite them to be a part of our life.  They usually respond 'yes'.

Sea life represents symbiotic relationships.  Notice how we all help each other and protect each other. "They became friends, like a family".  Working together is key in community.  Our actions should purposefully benefit those around us.  Discuss other examples.  Name ways you can help and/or protect those around you.

Hermit Crab describes each of the new friends he meets.  What are the descriptive words he chooses?  How would you describe your friends and/or the things around you?

Hermit Crab got busy decorating his new home with sea anemones (beautiful), starfish (handsome), coral (hard, pretty), snails (tidy, hard working) sea urchins (fierce), seaweed (dim, gloomy, murky), lantern fish (bright),  pebbles (sturdy).  Create your own Shell.  What sea life would you use?  Be creative in incorporating a variety of materials!

Hermit Crab ends the story that he has again outgrown his home and needs to find something bigger.  He gifts the old one to a smaller crab who promises to take care of his home and friends and begins his search again with hope, inspired with ideas about who else he could ask to be his friends....sponges, barnacles clownfish, sand dollars, electric eels.  He looks at life and sees so many possibilities.  We should have such positive attitudes!

This book can inspire you to see the best in others, share your skills with them, be kind to others and share your resources with them and to have a good outlook on life.  There are many literary aspects to the book that you can note and crafts and activities that you can develop to support the book that is set in the sea but the messages of the book are what stand out the most to me.  

Enjoy this book by Eric Carle and learn from it the many ways books inspire people.

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