Sharing a Shell

What do our readers think of Sharing a Shell? (Generated from the text of reviews of the book)

Children enjoy the bouncy rhyme, bright pictures and glittery details, and they like learning about unusual sea creatures. They often find the story helpful for thinking about sharing, friendship and how working together can solve problems.

What does the Pageticker team say about Sharing a Shell?

We love the lively rhyme, bright seaside illustrations and memorable rock-pool characters in this warm story about sharing space and recognising what friends can contribute. It is especially well suited to younger picture-book readers and makes a gentle starting point for talking about teamwork, disagreements and kindness; given words such as “anemone” and “bristleworm”, definitely a shared read.

Genres

What is Sharing a Shell about?

When a little hermit crab finds a shiny new shell, he doesn’t want to share it with anyone — not even a blobby anemone or a tickly bristleworm. But when challenges in the rock pool arise, Crab realises that sharing his home might be the best thing after all. This joyful, rhyming tale celebrates teamwork, friendship, and the wonders of the seaside.

About the author

Julia Donaldson is a much-loved British author who has written many wonderful books for children. She is best known for creating 'The Gruffalo', a story about a clever mouse and a magical creature. Julia often works with illustrator Axel Scheffler to bring her fun and imaginative stories to life.

Discussion ideas around Sharing a Shell

Sharing space: Why do you think Crab does not want to share his shell at first, and what might make sharing easier?

Working together: What does each creature bring to the group, and how do their different talents help them?

Friendship and disagreements: What could Crab, Anemone and Bristleworm do when they disagree about their home?

Rock-pool life: Which creature from the story would you most like to see in a real rock pool, and what would you look for?