What do you think?
Rate this book
Pagoo
An intricate study of tide pool life is presented in text and pictures through the story of Pagoo, a hermit crab.
88 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
55 people are currently reading
879 people want to read
About the author
Holling Clancy Holling
24 books74 followersBorn in Jackson County, Michigan, in 1900, Holling Clancy Holling graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1923. He then worked in a taxidermy department of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and spent time working in anthropology under Dr. Ralph Linton.
During this period, he married Lucille Webster, and within a year of their marriage accepted a position as art instructor on the first University World Cruise, sponsored by New York University. For many years, Holling C. Holling dedicated much of his time and interest to making books for children. Much of the material he used was known to him first hand, and his wife, Lucille, worked with him on many of the illustrations.
Sometimes listed as Holling C. Holling
During this period, he married Lucille Webster, and within a year of their marriage accepted a position as art instructor on the first University World Cruise, sponsored by New York University. For many years, Holling C. Holling dedicated much of his time and interest to making books for children. Much of the material he used was known to him first hand, and his wife, Lucille, worked with him on many of the illustrations.
Sometimes listed as Holling C. Holling
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
December 14, 2022
I want to be a Hermit Crab.
No mortgages, just move when you want a new dwelling and take it over. I like that. Pagoo (short for 'Pagurus') is a Hermit Crab. When he is born, he is no bigger than a tiny pencil dot.
When you start life like that, the odds are not good. But Pagoo is one of the fortunate, not eaten by predators and growing by the minute. He must learn about the world, both the beautiful comrades
and the deadly enemies.
This is a wonderful book to teach any child or adult about tide pools and, of course, Hermit Crabs. As I age, the less strenuous activities become more attractive. Sitting on a rock gazing down at a tide pool is now more fun, and safe, than swimming in a cold ocean. With this book, I can now identify what I'm actually viewing, all the while cheering on my Hermit Crab buddies.
Holling Clancy Holling wrote such simple but educational books with Paddle-to-the-Sea being an all-time fav. And such fun! For example, The Landlady of the Travelling Towers is a rather fat Hermit who carries barnacles on the back of her shell, where a still tiny Pagoo hitches a ride. Holling compares this creature to a rajah on an elephant, something I would never even think of doing.
The artwork is fetching and the life lessons, taught early to a curious child, will take. Doesn't hurt grown-ups either.
At times some misfortune gulps you down, and you learn only one small thing.
I want to be a Hermit Crab.
Book Season = Spring (so many shells, so little time)
No mortgages, just move when you want a new dwelling and take it over. I like that. Pagoo (short for 'Pagurus') is a Hermit Crab. When he is born, he is no bigger than a tiny pencil dot.
When you start life like that, the odds are not good. But Pagoo is one of the fortunate, not eaten by predators and growing by the minute. He must learn about the world, both the beautiful comrades
and the deadly enemies.
This is a wonderful book to teach any child or adult about tide pools and, of course, Hermit Crabs. As I age, the less strenuous activities become more attractive. Sitting on a rock gazing down at a tide pool is now more fun, and safe, than swimming in a cold ocean. With this book, I can now identify what I'm actually viewing, all the while cheering on my Hermit Crab buddies.
Holling Clancy Holling wrote such simple but educational books with Paddle-to-the-Sea being an all-time fav. And such fun! For example, The Landlady of the Travelling Towers is a rather fat Hermit who carries barnacles on the back of her shell, where a still tiny Pagoo hitches a ride. Holling compares this creature to a rajah on an elephant, something I would never even think of doing.
The artwork is fetching and the life lessons, taught early to a curious child, will take. Doesn't hurt grown-ups either.
At times some misfortune gulps you down, and you learn only one small thing.
I want to be a Hermit Crab.
Book Season = Spring (so many shells, so little time)
September 22, 2016
Way too many words for me right now, tbh. *But.* But when I was a child, I know I would have read this many times. I had a similar book, a reference, that was much more brief, that I read over and over, as I tried to glean more details from it. The text here is rich and seems both engaging and poetic, from the bits I skimmed.
*And.* And the pictures in this are amazing, for any age reader. I think maybe my favorite is either 'Pagoo was surrounded by a cloud of fairy ornaments' or 'the double-shelled mussel towered up from the canyon.' Get a paper copy of this; don't try to read it on your device.
Btw, the illustrations are a team effort by both Hollings. GR's listing format doesn't allow for odd situations like the one here.
*And.* And the pictures in this are amazing, for any age reader. I think maybe my favorite is either 'Pagoo was surrounded by a cloud of fairy ornaments' or 'the double-shelled mussel towered up from the canyon.' Get a paper copy of this; don't try to read it on your device.
Btw, the illustrations are a team effort by both Hollings. GR's listing format doesn't allow for odd situations like the one here.
October 14, 2020
All of the Holling books are true living books, IMO. If you want to learn about tides and tide pools and tide pool creatures, this is a great way to do it. The illustrations are amazing too.
February 18, 2025
I love that AO has these scheduled to be read slowly over the school year. There would be too much to take in as a quick read. We really enjoyed this Holling book, especially the ending. 🐚
April 25, 2025
What a delightful read about a hermit crab surviving his tide pool days; the circle of life on full display!
February 15, 2022
Another in Holling Clancy Holling's amazing, and difficult to properly classify, line of science adventure books. Here we follow Pagoo, a hermit crab of genus Pagurus, from insignificant planktonic larva to father of the next generation of ornery hermits. Personification is very minimal - such as there is comes mostly from the voice of Old Instinct, Pagoo's (and our) interface to millenia of hardcoded hermit crab behavioral patterns.
Illustrations are *stellar*, both the fabulous full color paintings and line drawings. Chapters are short, and a good length for bedtime purposes: three large pages of text, with decorations to the sides and a painting to cap off the action on the fourth. Other people on Goodreads have already scanned in some of the paintings and to incorporated them in their reviews. Do scroll around and take a look; you won't regret it.
This reading was my second time through with the kids. It must have made a big impression on DS#1 (9), who was really enthusiastic, even though I don't think he has seen the book in nearly four years. He remembered Paddle-to-the-Sea as well, from about three years ago.
Surprisingly, DD#2 (almost 3) was quite taken. Every day we would take another look at Big Head the Sculpin, and then speculate about whether Pagoo would escape Sleeping Octopus. Discussions about them have become part of her repertoire, which confuses a lot of the other adults in her life.
On first reading, I got this from our library system, where Holling's works were in very high demand. Have my own copy now, but at the time I was fourth in line for for a copy of Pagoo, and all his other books were far more active than one would expect for an author of that time period. I'm assuming homeschoolers with an eye for quality - is it just by word of mouth, or through showing up in a curriculum from somewhere like Memoria Press or Heart of Dakota?
Thanks again to Cheryl for pointing this out to me!
UPDATE: Third time through. DD#2, now 4, was a colder, but willing to listen. DS#2, age 6, was enraptured; DD#1 (8), happy to listen.
Illustrations are *stellar*, both the fabulous full color paintings and line drawings. Chapters are short, and a good length for bedtime purposes: three large pages of text, with decorations to the sides and a painting to cap off the action on the fourth. Other people on Goodreads have already scanned in some of the paintings and to incorporated them in their reviews. Do scroll around and take a look; you won't regret it.
This reading was my second time through with the kids. It must have made a big impression on DS#1 (9), who was really enthusiastic, even though I don't think he has seen the book in nearly four years. He remembered Paddle-to-the-Sea as well, from about three years ago.
Surprisingly, DD#2 (almost 3) was quite taken. Every day we would take another look at Big Head the Sculpin, and then speculate about whether Pagoo would escape Sleeping Octopus. Discussions about them have become part of her repertoire, which confuses a lot of the other adults in her life.
On first reading, I got this from our library system, where Holling's works were in very high demand. Have my own copy now, but at the time I was fourth in line for for a copy of Pagoo, and all his other books were far more active than one would expect for an author of that time period. I'm assuming homeschoolers with an eye for quality - is it just by word of mouth, or through showing up in a curriculum from somewhere like Memoria Press or Heart of Dakota?
Thanks again to Cheryl for pointing this out to me!
UPDATE: Third time through. DD#2, now 4, was a colder, but willing to listen. DS#2, age 6, was enraptured; DD#1 (8), happy to listen.
February 19, 2009
My dad read this book to me when I was just a little girl, exploring the tide pools of San Diego.
Pagoo tells the story of a hermit crab, from his first stages of life (no larger than a pencil dot), to his rough and tumble days as a fighting crab living in Tide Pool Town. It is a wonderful way for children to learn more about the world under the waves, but the story is clever enough that it is interesting for adults too. What truly makes this book special however, are the amazing, detailed illustrations that bring Pagoo to vivid life.
Pagoo tells the story of a hermit crab, from his first stages of life (no larger than a pencil dot), to his rough and tumble days as a fighting crab living in Tide Pool Town. It is a wonderful way for children to learn more about the world under the waves, but the story is clever enough that it is interesting for adults too. What truly makes this book special however, are the amazing, detailed illustrations that bring Pagoo to vivid life.
February 2, 2022
Another lovely Holling C. Holling book! His illustrations are so engaging and I learned so much more about the sea, and added to it wonderful everyday happenings in a tide pool and the life of a hermit crab. The boys and I loved it.
June 7, 2023
This delightful natural history book for children focuses on the life of Pagoo, a hermit crab living in Tide Pool Town. The story follows his adventures from the time that he was the size of a pencil dot to a full-grown hermit crab. The imaginative writing and illustrations make the glimpse of life in a tide pool look like an adventure, full of terrifying, death-defying moments. During these adventures, Pagoo follows and sometimes ignores the advise of his trusty sidekick, Old Pall (instinct). He learns how to eat, uses his feelers, molt, and find shells. The book ends at the beginning--he finds a mate and she cares for many eggs the size of a pencil dot.
April 6, 2025
This book was seriously amazing and directly added to my to-buy list (we had checked it out from the library). We learned more about tide pool and ocean life in this book than in our several weeks studying it in Science and the kids were enraptured.
May 28, 2024
Phew! What a nail biter!
Lively book about a hermit crowd and life in a tide pool.
Lively book about a hermit crowd and life in a tide pool.
January 7, 2015
For a kid growing up in the landlocked Midwest, this book was a window on an unknown world: the world of the sea. As a child, I was lucky enough to attend the only elementary school in my town with its own (very well-stocked) library. This was one of the books that I checked out again and again, poring over the pictures and the marginal notes. The vibrant colours and amazing illustrations held me spellbound time after time.
Even as an adult, I enjoy going over the book again and again. True, the humanisation of the hermit crab is a little "Wonderful World of Disney", but the pictures are still beautiful, the notes still informative.
Even as an adult, I enjoy going over the book again and again. True, the humanisation of the hermit crab is a little "Wonderful World of Disney", but the pictures are still beautiful, the notes still informative.
January 5, 2010
This book changed my life. I read it as a child and it sparked a life-long interest in marine biology. Because my grandparents lived near the beach I was able to explore tidepools, but after reading this book I could actually identify what I was seeing! After taking a marine biology class in college I re-read the book and discovered that Holling's research was accurate and matched my textbook definitions. Every few years I re-read it -- the book is delightful!
January 24, 2024
What an outstanding book! This is the fourth Holling C. Holling book we've read for school, and it's by far my favorite. It has the tightest narrative, taking place entirely over the course of a hermit crab's life (no humans involved). And it makes his coastal world—including all those weird and unsettling creatures floating or lurking in the sea, like bryozoa, sea snails, worms, eels, and even a sinister octopus—absolutely sparkle with beauty and intrigue.
It helps, of course, that my children are all fascinated by undersea life, and that in recent years we have made multiple trips to the coast to explore tide pools. Even the few creatures we've encountered have given us a small store of experience to rely on as we read the book, connecting the new and unknown to the old and familiar.
Any time one tells a story about animals, some amount of anthropomorphizing, or of analogizing to human experience, needs to be involved. If you go far down that road, the story becomes more and more literary, less and less scientific. But if you don't go down that road, you can't really have a story. This book walks an admirable line between insisting on Pagoo's animal nature and making him "all human" and giving him an interior life inappropriate to a hermit crab. It all rings true scientifically, but it also rings true as a story, and therefore (I think) speaks more truly, and certainly more beautifully (more truly because more beautifully?) than mere scientific fact could. Or, to borrow C.S. Lewis' way of putting it, the book describes not only what a hermit crab is made of, but also what a hermit crab is.
I will long remember the climax of the story, where Pagoo nearly succumbs to an octopus (masterfully analogized to a witch in an undersea lair). Pagoo's biography, appropriately, contains a whole series of near-death experiences; in every chapter he is in danger or close to being finished off. But the octopus episode is next-level: high drama, powerful storytelling, and yet still containing so much beauty! You can't help admiring the uncanny octopus, as a scientific creature and as a literary villain, even as you loathe her. I'm still reeling from this encounter and keep returning to it in my mind!
I've recently begun to wonder whether nothing in nature is truly "gross" when you have actually studied it. It can be off-putting if you only know part of the story (and biology textbooks only tend to give part of the story), or if you imagine it wrongly (the imagination can invent the worst horrors). The octopus episode gives me an interesting test-case, because I have been completely weirded out by octopuses ever since I learned (as an adult) that they had a beak. I could tolerate the idea of a limp, wiggly body that mostly exists to house a huge brain and all those tentacles, but the notion of the beak was just disgusting. Well, after reading this book, I'm no longer disgusted. Every part of the octopus has its ordered purpose, and I'm permitted to feel unsettled (because she's likened to a witch) as I watch her entrap and devoir snails...and nearly Pagoo. Seeing her in action, in her natural habitat, fulfilling a role in a story, and gorgeously illustrated as only Holling C. Holling can do, makes her beautiful, right down to that erstwhile disturbing beak.
The book ends with a brief account of Pagoo's mating. Again, I marvel. Somehow here again the book walks just the right line—the account is scientifically accurate, but more beautifully described than mere scientific fact, ever so slightly erotic without being the least bit lewd. As with every other part of the book, you perceive the order and loveliness of nature, and you sympathize, quite honestly and properly, with a hermit crab.
It helps, of course, that my children are all fascinated by undersea life, and that in recent years we have made multiple trips to the coast to explore tide pools. Even the few creatures we've encountered have given us a small store of experience to rely on as we read the book, connecting the new and unknown to the old and familiar.
Any time one tells a story about animals, some amount of anthropomorphizing, or of analogizing to human experience, needs to be involved. If you go far down that road, the story becomes more and more literary, less and less scientific. But if you don't go down that road, you can't really have a story. This book walks an admirable line between insisting on Pagoo's animal nature and making him "all human" and giving him an interior life inappropriate to a hermit crab. It all rings true scientifically, but it also rings true as a story, and therefore (I think) speaks more truly, and certainly more beautifully (more truly because more beautifully?) than mere scientific fact could. Or, to borrow C.S. Lewis' way of putting it, the book describes not only what a hermit crab is made of, but also what a hermit crab is.
I will long remember the climax of the story, where Pagoo nearly succumbs to an octopus (masterfully analogized to a witch in an undersea lair). Pagoo's biography, appropriately, contains a whole series of near-death experiences; in every chapter he is in danger or close to being finished off. But the octopus episode is next-level: high drama, powerful storytelling, and yet still containing so much beauty! You can't help admiring the uncanny octopus, as a scientific creature and as a literary villain, even as you loathe her. I'm still reeling from this encounter and keep returning to it in my mind!
I've recently begun to wonder whether nothing in nature is truly "gross" when you have actually studied it. It can be off-putting if you only know part of the story (and biology textbooks only tend to give part of the story), or if you imagine it wrongly (the imagination can invent the worst horrors). The octopus episode gives me an interesting test-case, because I have been completely weirded out by octopuses ever since I learned (as an adult) that they had a beak. I could tolerate the idea of a limp, wiggly body that mostly exists to house a huge brain and all those tentacles, but the notion of the beak was just disgusting. Well, after reading this book, I'm no longer disgusted. Every part of the octopus has its ordered purpose, and I'm permitted to feel unsettled (because she's likened to a witch) as I watch her entrap and devoir snails...and nearly Pagoo. Seeing her in action, in her natural habitat, fulfilling a role in a story, and gorgeously illustrated as only Holling C. Holling can do, makes her beautiful, right down to that erstwhile disturbing beak.
The book ends with a brief account of Pagoo's mating. Again, I marvel. Somehow here again the book walks just the right line—the account is scientifically accurate, but more beautifully described than mere scientific fact, ever so slightly erotic without being the least bit lewd. As with every other part of the book, you perceive the order and loveliness of nature, and you sympathize, quite honestly and properly, with a hermit crab.
May 28, 2019
I like that the eel bit the octopus’ arm.
April 29, 2021
School read. We adventured with little Pagoo, a hermit crab, and learned all about the various lives and interactions inside a tide pool. Old Pal was our favorite and taught us something on instinct.
June 13, 2024
fourth family read aloud of the year. we’ve read this one multiple times through the years- always enjoyable. made even better by visits to the aquarium.
September 18, 2020
Wonderful! My 10 year old said this is his favorite Holling book so far.
July 28, 2017
the best one yet we read from this series
April 11, 2024
This was a lovely educational chapter book about tide-pools trough the perspective of a hermit crab! What a journey he goes on!
The pictures are absolutely beautiful and all scientific, not cartoon. The level of detail in the storytelling about correct animal information is also quite impressive.
The pictures are absolutely beautiful and all scientific, not cartoon. The level of detail in the storytelling about correct animal information is also quite impressive.
May 29, 2008
Like all good children's literature (and film as well), Holling Clancy Holling's books are delightful for adults as well as kids of all ages. Younger children love to have his books read to them, and older ones love to read them, which is kind of a bummer because then the adults don't get to read them anymore. Pagoo is the delightful story of the life of a hermit crab, and instilled in me and my children a love for shore life and tidal pools.
September 16, 2014
My son is so hard to find a book for that grabs his attention. This book has done that! He loves hearing about the little hermit crab's adventures. The pictures and illustrations a very beautiful and labeled so the children know what you're talking about.
January 24, 2015
Using for grade 4 (waldorf) homeschool as a great first intro to animal science. Lovely pictures, and I learned things from it too. It looked very wordy to me and not as appealing to me to just read to myself, but we enjoyed it as a read-aloud.
January 14, 2016
An amazing read aloud. My son enjoyed it. I loved his attempts to change outcomes by providing suggestions for Pagoo. He learned so much about hermit crabs. I loved how the story came full circle. I'm so glad we read this story. I too learned much about the tide pool and it's community.
May 22, 2025
Loved it! We feel like we understand ocean life and “Old Instinct” a little more, but that there is so much life happening around us that’s so mysterious and miraculous! Very fun since we live by the ocean, we’ve already seen some of the things we read about!
May 20, 2022
I loved this book! It was a perfect read aloud to my 6 year old ( it would be too long for a younger or less focused kid). It's a chapter book with illustrations, so we read about a chapter a night fors few weeks. Fantastic science writing about the intertidal zone, and the strange, wonderful behaviors of crustaceans.
It was written in the '50s, so I don't know how much the biological understanding of hermit crabs has changed, but the drawings and descriptions seem very accurate to me (I work as an editor on nature books for a general audience). Occasional language about gender grated on me a little, but overall I thought this was a wonderfully immersive book that brings the intertidal to life with precision and verve.
My mom volunteers as a docent at a nationally protected reef and beach, and trained in marine biology. A fellow docent recommended this book as an incredibly meaningful one from her childhood. So glad she did!
It was written in the '50s, so I don't know how much the biological understanding of hermit crabs has changed, but the drawings and descriptions seem very accurate to me (I work as an editor on nature books for a general audience). Occasional language about gender grated on me a little, but overall I thought this was a wonderfully immersive book that brings the intertidal to life with precision and verve.
My mom volunteers as a docent at a nationally protected reef and beach, and trained in marine biology. A fellow docent recommended this book as an incredibly meaningful one from her childhood. So glad she did!
December 27, 2025
I read this aloud to my 1st and 3rd graders as part of our homeschool. We all enjoyed the weekly chapter! I continue to be amazed by this author. I'm not sure how he (and his wife!) managed to create such an interesting story around the life and times of a tide pool. I was definitely rooting for Pagoo, and almost skipped ahead to find out what happened before it was time to read the last couple of chapters with my kids 😅
January 6, 2023
Read a chapter a week with my AO year 3 student for nature study. We loved Paddle to the Sea by the same author, so we had high hopes for this one, but we both celebrated when it was finally over. Perhaps tide-pool life just isn’t a great area of interest for us, but this one just didn’t come alive or connect with us at all. The language and vocabulary were great, and I’m sure we learned quite a bit, but won’t be excited to revisit it.
May 21, 2021
I never thought a book entirely about the life of a hermit crab could be so educational and entertaining. For that reason, this is one of my favorite books by Holling C. Holling so far. And of course, as usual, the illustrations were excellent!
August 2, 2023
Yr 3, Yr 1, & preschooler all super enjoyed this read aloud, taken very slowly and group narrated. Especially fun leading up to our Hawaii trip at the end of the school year. Finishing up here at end of summer/beginning of new school year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews