Is This a House for Hermit Crab?
by Megan McDonald; illus. by Katherine Tillotson
Preschool    Porter/Holiday    40 pp.
2/24    9780823452194    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780823457595    $11.99

First published in 1990 (with illustrations by S. D. Schindler), this story of a hermit crab’s quest for a safe new home appears in a bright reissue with fresh illustrations. Hermit Crab has outgrown his shell, which leaves him unprotected in a sea of predators. Dramatic art created with watercolor, finger paint, and acrylics shows an orange hermit crab on the shore, contrasting with a blue sea that barely masks the shadow of the ominous porcupine fish. From page to page, with dangers lurking throughout, our protagonist checks out a variety of problematic living arrangements: a too-heavy rock, a too-noisy tin can, a too-deep plastic pail. The rich illustrations depict this intrepid and personable little creature from multiple perspectives on his real-estate journey while the text moves along in patterned rhythm. After each failed attempt, Hermit Crab transitions to the next with a refrain that invites audience participation: “So he stepped along the shore, by the sea, in the sand…scritch-scratch, scritch-scratch.” The narrative takes a dark turn when a wave catches Hermit Crab, taking him down into the sea with the hungry porcupine fish. Mercifully, he finds his new home just in time. The book closes with a note from the author and a double-page spread with hermit crab facts and a resource list.

From the May/June 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.