This week the RoR pick is Kermit the Hermit by Bill Peet. My husband loves Bill Peet books because they remind him of his childhood. Bill Peet books (that’s almost a tongue twister) were probably read hundreds of times in his household. Even though this book was originally published in 1965, I had actually never heard, seen, or read it until last year. Should I be embarrassed? Yes. Also because Bill Peet was the animator of the One Hundred and One Dalmatians film, which was my actual favourite movie as a kid. But here we are.
Oddly, Bill Peet books can be hard to find. Even the big box store Indigo has been shockingly known not to have them in stock. Thankfully my mother-in-law, who knows her adult son still loves these classics, gifts them to us from time to time.
What feels like a lifetime ago (time is different with a baby and toddler) I curled up in my son’s bed to read Kermit the Hermit, and I realized it was a long form picture book. At least in my eyes. In other words, instead of reading three books before bed this would be a one book before bed kind of read. I was reluctant to make the commitment, but I quickly learned the appeal of the grumpy, junk-hoarding crab. My son is fascinated by the crab and his random pile of junk.
This adorable boy saves Hermit from disaster by a dog, and the once greedy and miserable crab works hard to repay him. From grumpy to grateful, Kermit learns the value of sharing (which is big in our house right now), and shares his new gold fortune with the boys family.
There are many Bill Peet books to choose from, and some I’ll likely highlight in a future RoR post. But for now, I’ll leave you with this one ahead of summer beach combing and crab encounters.
Also, my husband recommends finding the original printed picture books at a used bookstore because the reprints just don’t do the illustrations justice. Good luck with that. I told you he was a fan!
- Happy reading!