Pagoo is the story that incorporates biology into a wonderful book about a tide pool. I would definitely use this book during a science class, because it has a lot of information. I would recommend this book to grades 3-5. ( )

Z seriously loved this strange but wonderful look at tidepool ecology. Holling's writing style reminded me of Jean Henri Fabre's wonderfully poetic writing on insects and observing nature.

1/28/13 Update - Z is re-reading this independently. ( )

Another fantastic story from Holling C Holling. Because the story is long and very descriptive I keep expecting the kids to be bored but instead at the end of every chapter they beg for more. We love all the drawings in the margins and were fascinated by all the creatures of the tide pools. ( )

Pagoo is one example of Holling C. Holling’s exceptional ability to weave scientific and historical information into a beautifully illustrated fictional format. Holling won the Caldecott Honor Medal in 1941 for his previous work, Paddle to the Sea.

This charming tale follows the life of a hermit crab named Pagoo. The reader is exposed not only to the entire life cycle of a hermit crab, but also the ecology of one small corner of the ocean’s environment. The amount of scientific information that can be gleaned from the story and pictures of Pagoo’s life is astounding.

Each chapter consists of three pages of text bordered by elaborate black and white illustrations, and one full-page colored illustration. We see the life of a hermit crab depicted very realistically by Holling, but the reader is never bored with Holling’s fantastic vignettes of life in and around a tide pool.

This book would fit nicely with a unit in an elementary school classroom about the science process skill of classification. I think having a hermit crab as a class pet would be an amazing experience for students that are reading Pagoo. This book can also be tied very naturally with language arts concepts to create a unique interdisciplinary unit of study.

Oh what a wonderful book this is! The life story of a hermit crab named Pagoo introduces the reader to the rich world of California tide pools in all their variety and beauty. The detailed illustrations in the margins(rendered in precise pencil) had me aspiring to a career as a scientific illustrator by age 10. The color plates capture the more dramatic moments of the story. Share this book with children you love,give them a good set of colored pencils, and then take them to the tidepools to meet Pagoo. ( )