About This Book:
Crack! Smack! Whack! On a sandy beach, two hermit crabs are fighting over a large, empty snail shell. Why? Both crabs have outgrown their shells and their “homes” are starting to feel rather tight.
In this book, readers will be astounded to learn that a hermit crab’s shell is not actually attached to its body. Instead, these crabs have a hard exoskeleton on their front halves, but must find secondhand shells to cover their soft, unprotected abdomens. Learn all about the bodies of these fascinating crustaceans.
- Watch as a crab explores its seashore habitat looking for a new, bigger home.
- Discover what happens on “moving day” as a crab discards its old shell and moves into its latest find.
- And be amazed to see a group of differently sized hermit crabs form a line to swap shells―each moving into the shell of its bigger neighbor!
Readers will enjoy learning about the unusual behavior of these animals, and will love the close-up photos that show hermit crabs in search of their next home.
*Review Contributed By Connie Reid, Staff Reviewer*
Fascinating and Easy to Understand
Hermit Crab’s New Shell is a nonfiction picture book perfect for preschool through early elementary readers. The photographs and clearly labeled parts make the book fascinating and easy to learn about Hermit Crabs in the wild. My favorite fact was learning that hermit crabs will form a line next to a bigger shell and then, as the biggest crab goes into the shell, each of the others goes into the newly discarded shell. The sentence structure, word count, and word choices are perfect for early and newly independent readers. The glossary in the back gives additional help for content-specific words. Overall, this is an engaging read perfect for young readers and hermit crab fans.
