My Shell Book (Smithsonian Board Book)

Ellen Kirk
Collins (2008)
ISBN 9780061115769
Reviewed by Cayden (age 3-1/2) and Max (age 20- months) Aures and Mom for Reader Views (5/08)


“My Shell Book” is a Smithsonian board book that introduces seven different types of shells.  Each page starts with a question such as “What has an oval shape and colored bands?” and then has the answer “A clam shell” with the picture of that particular shell.

Cayden:  “Shells are in the ocean.”

Cayden:  “Look, it is a white shell.”
Max:  “White shell.”

Cayden:  “What is a spire?”

Max: “Mouth”
Cayden:  “Yes, that shell looks like it has a mouth.”

Cayden:  “We eat clams in soup.”

Cayden:  “That one looks like a screwdriver!”
Max:  “Tool!”

Cayden:  “That shell is purple in the inside.”

Parent’s comments: 

My children enjoyed the descriptions of the shells and had fun learning the names of the different types.  Although some of the words used were a little over their heads (like “spire”) they still got the general idea.  The photographs of the shells were very detailed and fun to look at.  “My Shell Book” would be a great book to bring along on a beach vacation to see if you can find the shells pictured in the book!

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