Old Shell, New Shell: A Coral Reef Tale

by Helen Ward

A hairy red hermit crab who has outgrown his shell searches for a new one among the creatures of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, in a tale that includes a key which identifies the coral reef animals in the illustrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Childrens, Storytime

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Helen Ward won the first Walker Prize for Children’s Illustration and twice won the British National Art Library Award. She has also been short-listed for the 2003 Kate Greenaway Medal. She lives in Gloucestershire, England.

Reviews

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A Coral Reef Tale, Old Shell, New Shell’ by Helen Ward is a brilliant book that combines fiction and non-fiction to tell the story of a hermit crab trying to look for a new shell as he has grown too big for his old one.

The story uses a short amount of text and has beautiful, vivid illustration on every page, making it ideal for young children. A fun idea would be to get children to use this book as inspiration for making a collage or a painting of a coral reef, getting them really thinking about the different colours and types of fish found in corals.

However, the last pages of the book give us a huge source of information about corals and the life story of a hermit crab. It gives detailed facts about how corals are formed, where they are found, the many different fish that live there and about how coral reefs are being endangered due to climate change. It is therefore a brilliant book to use for cross curricular links with older KS2 children too. It can be used to introduce many different topics such as adaptation, habitats and conservation to them, bringing Science, PSHSE and Geography together.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book as it has so much to offer in terms of exciting ideas to implement in lessons.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice, exactly as expected from Ward... but I can't help comparing it to Hollings, Carle, and many others... even jigsaw puzzles.... However, I will still continue to read more by the illustrator.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated story about a little hermit crab who is looking for a bigger home with some specific decorations in mind. The fish are gorgeous and I like that the end notes can be read with or without the child, depending on their age and attention span.

The story is fascinating enough to stand alone, but I loved the information about the Great Barrier Reef and our girls loved picking out various sea creatures to be identified in the back. Wonderful tale, with a cautionary perspective regarding the human threat to coral reefs.

[will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rooted in reality, this book offers beautiful visuals of a vast underwater world. The striking use of colour, whilst remaining accurate to the real patterns and appearances of sea-life, welcome the readers to gaze in awe at what could await them in a trip under the waves. The moral of sharing comes through nicely, and the fold out final page is a great touch.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art and a cute story

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for learning about hermit crabs!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hermit crab looks for anew shell and has a hard time finding the one he wants. Lots of backmatter. preschool

[Caitlin Hoole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story of a hermit crab looking for a new shell. Nice fold out pages too.

[Gabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. It was like the book Old Hat New Hat but with shells

[Adrianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how this book had a section in the back with some extra information about the creatures and reef in the back of the book.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just okay.

[Olimpia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little story. The illustrations are insanely beautiful.

[Keayra D]

Intended Audiencee
This marvelous book is perfect for young readers 4- 8 years old. Its interactive storyline and bright illustrations make it a realistic choice for both independent reading and sharing Storytime.
Key themes
Throughout the book, there were captivating illustrations of reef animals their shapes, colors, and communications. The key that was given in the book identifies these interesting creatures.
I selected this book for my library because it vividly shows images of the underwater world, showing the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and children will be amazed at how the Great Barrier Reef looks. The key adds a shocking element motivating discovery.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story of a hermit crab trying to find a new, bigger shell got many laughs out of Logan. The hermit crab is quite picky and he keeps trying to enlist the help of other sea creatures, without much luck. Ward seems to be at her best when she's both telling and illustrating the story. She has a knack for making her animals realistic looking, but also with full of expression and movement. While I don't think the illustrations here are quite the caliber of those Ward did for "Unwitting Wisdom," I can really see her finding her feet here. And I imagine it's much harder to draw expressive and funny pictures of hermit crabs and anglefish than of hares and foxes.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot of cool stuff about coral, the Great Barrier Reef and many of it's inhabitants at the back of this book. I would read about one of the fishes pictured on one of the pages and tell Lydia about its venomous spines and she totally loved it. She would point to something, ask me what it was and then ask me if we could touch it. I would look it up in the back of the book and tell her. Really fun. Now I want to go to Australia and see all of them in real life!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best part of this book is the amazing information section in the back that identifies every single plant and animal featured on every page. I really admire and respect that level of attention and detail.

Hermit crabs without their shells freak me out. If they freak you out, you might want to skip that part of the book where our hermit crab friend leaves his shell to seek out a new one.

This book will be featured as Book of the Week on September 19, 2011. http://wp.me/p1JduU-kF

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The creatures of Australia's Great Barrier Reef are explored with the story of a hermit crab that has outgrown his shell. Beautiful illustrations and lots of information.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork and a great way to introduce young readers to the many creatures that can be found in a coral reef. Done with a pleasing mix of entertainment and education.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spectular color and illustrations. Plus ten pages of info about the various creatures featured in the illustrations.

[La-Shanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book for early learners PreK-2