- First published
- 1965
- Editions
- 2 editions
- Status
- In print
Kermit the Hermit
A greedy, miserly old crab named Kermit hoards his treasures alone, until a boy rescues him from danger and Kermit learns the rewards of generosity.
"In Monterey Bay There's a jumble of rock Stacked up like a castle across from a dock. The king of this castle, an old crab called Kermit, Lived all by himself in a cave like a hermit. There was never a crab who was one half as selfish Or one tenth as mean as this crusty old shellfish."
Bill Peet traced the character to his habit of sketching from life: "One story was the result of sketching crabs in supermarkets, the crabs stacked on ice in the sea food displays. I always carry a small notebook with me in case I get an idea or need to sketch something... I kept sketching crabs until I began to see a character, a greedy grabby old miser who turned out to be Kermit the Hermit." He recalled having to set the rhyming text aside partway through to work on Chester the Worldly Pig before he could make it work.
From the book
Preliminary sketches
