A house for hermit crab

A House for A Hermit Crab

Carle, E. (1987). A house for a hermit crab. New York: Simon & Schuster Books Inc.

ISBN-10: 0-689-87064-7

ISBN-13: 987-0-689-87064-4

It is a brand new year and Hermit Crab has outgrown his shell. Hermit Crab decides that he needs a new home, so he goes on a journey to find a new one. Once he finds a new shell, he decides that it is too plain for him. Throughout the year, Hermit Crab meets and asks other sea creatures to help him decorate his home. As the year is ending, his home is finally complete but he figures that it is getting to be a bit too small for him. Since he is too small for it he decides to pass on his shell to a smaller hermit crab. Hermit Crab then finds a new shell and is excited about the endless possibilities and creative discoveries that hold for him and his new home.

I chose this story for three to five-year olds because it teaches children about the challenges of change and how they can overcome it with the help of their peers. It also touches on the concept of friendship, sharing and growing up as well. It has a positive attitude towards change. Furthermore, it teaches children academic concepts including the months of the year. The artwork in this Eric Carle has in this book is remarkable. The colours presented in this book are bold and vivid. The language is simple and would be considered an easy read. It also teaches children the life of a hermit crab and how they survive.

Provocations

1. During circle time, singing a calendar song, while using a seashell as a pointer, starting at January and ending in December.

2. Read books about marine life, have colouring pages of sea creatures for the children to colour[bm2] .

Ways to Present The Book

1. Felt Story

Felt objects needed for the story: felt board, sea anemones, starfish, corals, snails, sea urchins, lantern fish, hermit crab, rocks, and shells.

One page summary of the story

This particular felt story was given to me to use on practicum; it was custom made for my aunt.

I will be using a typed up piece of paper to tell the story. The objects used in the story will be labeled by different colours and will be in bold on the piece of paper. I will start telling the story by placing the pieces in a pile in the order that the story is being told. Once the story is finished, they would have a chance to come up and design their own shell on the felt board.

2. Magnet Story

Magnetic objects needed for the story: magnetic board, sea anemones, starfish, corals, snails, sea urchins, lantern fish, hermit crab, rocks, and shells.

One page summary of the story

I would use a cookie sheet and use it as the board, and paint it as if it were underwater. The story will be told the same way as the felt story except in magnetic form.

3. Audio Recorded

I will have a couple of people or just myself use voices to read as a character from the story. I will then burn the audio file onto a CD and then play it for the children. I will be flipping the pages of the book as the audio is running.