Explore the natural world with appreciation and empathy is this wildly imaginative, summer-themed picture book

A seashell is just a seashell…or is it? To a clam, it’s a door. To an octopus, it’s a shield. To a young child, it’s a treasure! A place to play or a home for critters, the beach can be so many things!

And there are so many other exciting things to find hidden in sand dunes and between waves－all it takes is a little shift in perspective.

Perfect for boardwalk strolls, lazy days on beach towels, or in a classroom or a playroom, Just a Shell…or Is It? Promotes creative thinking and empathy for the world around us－and all of its inhabitants－teaching young readers that nothing in nature is “just” what it is, but so much more.

 

Becca McMurdie is an elementary school teacher and aunt to three amazing nephews by day. Ay night, she researches and writes children’s books. Her first picture book, Building a Beak: How a Toucan’s Rescue Inspired the World, was a NSTA-CBC Best STEM Book Selection. McMurdie takes trips to climb up mountains, hike through forests, and explore lakes and seashores any chance she gets. She lives in New York City.

Paola Escobar is a graphic designer and illustrator from Colombia. As a child, she loved drawing the stories told by her grandmother, and it was her dream to become an illustrator for children’s books. Today, she is the illustrator of many critically acclaimed picture books, including A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen and Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré, which won a Pura Belpré Honor award, was an Indie Next List Pick, a Junior Library Guild Selection, and a Today Show Best Kids’ Book. Escobar lives in Bogotá, Colombia, with her husband and their dog, Flora.

 

‘Throughout, Escobar’s warm palette creates enticing digitally rendered scenes for readers to pore over as they follow along with the children’s imaginative play…Not just another beach book, but encouragement to look again―and again.’－Kirkus Reviews