Old Shell, New Shell: A Coral

From Publishers Weekly
A brilliantly illustrated coral reef teeming with clownfish, spiny lobsters and sea slugs dominates this fictional account of a small hermit crab in search of a larger shell. In fact, Ward's (The Animal's Christmas Carol) paintings are so dazzling that the anthropomorphic story pales a bit in comparison. The tale opens lyrically: "In the watery gardens, where sea anemones flowered and fish as bright as butterflies sailed among the coral, there lived a hermit crab!" But the tone is not sustained, and the text is sometimes confusing (for example, the crab laments, "I need a shell... with some of these," but it's very difficult to tell what he is referring to). Some design features can be disconcerting (words are seemingly randomly emphasized with a large font), but the final sumptuous illustration that opens to a four-page panorama is appropriately impressive. The nine-page appendix describes the Great Barrier Reef setting and contains a numbered, smaller version of each painting that links detailed information about the habits and interdependency of the organisms found in coral reefs to many different fish and plants that populate the underwater scenes. Ages 5-7. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 1--As in Eric Carle's A House for Hermit Crab (Picture Book Studio, 1991), a very small hermit crab (who "had been smaller") is forced to move from the shell he loves because it is getting tight. Radiant, full-spread illustrations in pen-and-ink with jewel-toned watercolor-and-gouache washes illuminate a rather mundane tale set on the Great Barrier Reef off Australia. Oddly chosen words are inexplicably set in boldface, making for slightly choppy reading. A gatefold center spread signals a happy resolution to the tale: the crustacean can inhabit the shell of a bigger hermit crab that is also moving into a larger abode. A detailed key follows in which each creature in the story is identified by common and scientific Latin name with a brief description of points of interest in the species. This key, a history of reefs worldwide, and an appeal for reef conservation are in much smaller print and on a higher reading level. This book could be an auxiliary volume in a collection about habitats and/or ecology, but Carle's story wins out.Dona Ratterree, The Parkside School, New York CityCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 5-8. Ward seems to be writing for two audiences in this vividly illustrated visit to the Great Barrier Reef. For the picture-book set, she offers a version of the familiar "hermit crab seeks a new shell" plot. Then, following a climactic double gatefold, she has provided a substantial key, in very small type and obviously aimed at much older readers, which identifies and describes the creatures in the preceding illustrations. The art imparts a clear sense of the astonishing density and range of reef life as the dazzling red hermit crab clambers through a watery world teeming with brilliantly patterned fish and exotic fans and domes of coral. Ward closes with an environmental heads-up, plus contact information for four international conservation organizations. Equally apt for assignment or story time, this absorbing visit to one of our planet's more fragile realms will be a versatile alternative to Norbert Wu's A City under the Sea (1996). John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Card catalog description
A hermit crab who has outgrown his shell searches for a new one among the creatures of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Includes a key which identifies the coral reef animals in the illustrations.


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A hermit crab seeking a home offers glimpses of the Great Barrier Reef as he searches for the perfect shell. Extensive explanatory notes and diagrams could facilitate an in-depth study of the reef. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.


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