A Shell is Cozy

by Dianna Hutts Aston, Sylvia Long (Illustrator)

From the creators of the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet, A Seed Is Sleepy, and A Rock Is Lively comes the latest book in this bestselling series!

The newest entry in the bestselling Nature Books series by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long, A Shell Is Cozy takes a gorgeous look at the fascinating world of shells. From land snails to sea scallops, giant clams to tiny dwarf shells, an incredible array of shells are showcased in all their splendor.

Poetic in voice and elegant in design, this carefully researched book is sure to inspire lively questions and spark the imaginations of young readers. This beautiful volume will be equally at home being read to a child on a parent's lap as it is in a classroom reading circle.

EVERYONE LOVES SHELLS!: The perfect book for amateur naturalists, vacation-goers, and armchair travelers for whom beaches, and their shells, hold a special place in the heart.

EVERYONE LOVES THIS SERIES!:
An Egg Is Quiet
"A delight for budding naturalists of all stripes, flecks, dots, and textures." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Will inspire kids to marvel." —Booklist
A Junior Library Guild Premiere selection
One of Scholastic Parent & Child magazine's 100 Greatest Books for Kids
 
A Butterfly Is Patient
"Both eye-catching and informative." —School Library Journal, starred review
"A lovely mix of science and wonder." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Stunning." —Library Media Connection, starred review
An ALA Notable Children's Book
An NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students Grades K–12
An NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
 
A Rock Is Lively
"A visual and verbal feast." —Boston Globe
"Eye-catching and eye-opening." —School Library Journal, starred review
An IRA Teachers' Choices Reading List selection
 
A Seed Is Sleepy
"Will stretch children's minds and imaginations." —School Library Journal, starred review
An IRA Teachers' Choices Reading List selection
 
A Nest Is Noisy
"Beautiful . . . an asset to science collections." —Booklist
A Junior Library Guild selection

Perfect teachers, librarians, in-school educators, and homeschoolersPreschool, kindergarten, and emerging readers with an interest in nature, the ocean, sea creatures, life science, rocks, minerals, and shellsCurious explorers and shell collectorsFans of Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and others in the Over and Under seriesAnyone interested in learning more about the planet we inhabitGift giving for any holiday as well as birthdays and end-of-school summer reads

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature, Animals, Science

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 9, 2023

About the author

Dianna Hutts Aston was born in Houston, Texas, attended the University of Houston, and worked as a journalist for several years. LOONY LITTLE is her first picture book with Candlewick Press. She says, "It was one of the hottest summer days on record. My mind, of its own accord, kept wandering northward, to a wilderness of snow and ice, the Arctic. While listening to the news one evening, I heard Peter Jennings say, ‘The polar icecap is melting - or is it?’ In my mind, I heard, ‘The sky is falling!’ The whole concept for LOONY LITTLE literally fell from the sky and into my mind." Dianna Hutts Aston lives in central Texas with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one in the series by this author and illustrator. If I was still teaching I would definitely have the entire series for my classroom! These are fantastic books!

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I’m on the beach, one of my favorite things to do is search for shells. I’m always on the lookout for ones that are unique or extra pretty. But, I don’t usually think about the life the shell had before washing up on the shore.

Shells have a very important job of protecting the animal inside. No matter the shape and size of the shell, its job is to float through the water and protect the mollusk from stones, coral reefs, and even predatory fish. Once it lands on the shore, it can become a protective home for a new inhabitant, like a hermit crab.

Shells have been around forever and were even used as currency, tools, and fishing hooks. The team of Diana Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long have made learning fun with lyrical writing and amazing illustrations of all kinds of stunning shells. The next time you find a beautiful shell, think about the life it led before you chose to pick it up and add it to your collection.

[Juli Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another mesmerizing addition to this series.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author/ artist duo have created several nonfiction picture books that are always informative and exquisitely illustrated. The shells illustrated here are bright and colorful. There is basic info regarding shells in general, however, this title includes information on both land and sea snail shells
making it a little difficult to stay focused on which type they are writing and illustrating about. However it is still a good beginning title on shells.

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read, like all in this series. I appreciate that the shells are labeled so curious readers can read more about each creature featured. There is no back matter.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely watercolor illustrations with well presented information about shells and all their purposes in the natural world. Beautiful -- end pages and all.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrator Sylvia Long, a team which has produced a number of beautiful works of picture book natural history, return in this seventh collaboration, this time turning their attention to those marvelous calcium carbonate homes known as shells. As in the earlier titles from this duo, there is a dual narrative structure here, with a simple, poetic text describing what shells are—"A shell is cozy... A shell is showy. A shell is hatched and protective"—accompanied by a more detailed look at specific topics such as the various forms shells take, the life cycle of the creatures which live in shells, all the places they can be found, and so much more...

Pairing an informative and engaging text with beautiful illustrations, A Shell Is Cozy is another triumph from this pair, and is a book I would heartily recommend to all young animal and nature lovers. As always, I loved Sylvia Long's use of color and form, in her detailed ink and watercolor artwork. The decorative "endpapers"—not actually in the place of the endpapers, so they won't be obscured by library stickers or taped-down dust-jackets—show a gorgeous array of shells, unlabeled at the front and labeled at the rear. I also appreciated the fact that author Dianna Hutts Aston included mention of how humans use shells, once their original inhabitants are no longer in them, and that she mentioned the Watts Towers in Los Angeles, constructed out of (amongst other things) shells. I know she wrote an earlier picture book on this subject, Dream Something Big: The Story of the Watts Towers , and I hope to track that down next, of her titles. Published last year (2023), this one is the last of these "Nature Books" from Aston and Long I had yet to read, and I am glad to have completed the set. That being said, I certainly hope more such titles will be forthcoming! Examining the natural world through these themed picture books is both fun and educational.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and I have always loved shells so this might be my favorite book by this team. Great reference book. Clever layout. In the front endpapers a bunch of shells are shown. Inside they are part of the contents and the back endpapers have the same shells that are shown in the front but this time they are labeled with their names. This picture book is packed with information. This isn’t a story book. It’s a reference book, but it is interesting and it’s not just a nature book but also addresses art, history, cultural issues. Children who are fascinated by shells/the natural world will probably love this book. Lovely illustrations, some whimsy and playfulness but mostly facts. This is one I’d love to own and to be able to share with children. 4-2/3 stars

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. I would recommend this to anyone that loves shells, finding shells at the ocean, or learning about animals that use shells as a home. The design of the cover is very eye-catching with the various shells and vibrant colors used on each one. I think that this book will get checked out by all of the ocean-loving young readers. *I enjoyed this book as an adult, learning about all of the different types of shells. The illustrations are done in ink and watercolor and are VERY vivid! The illustrations follow along with the text and depict each different type of shell in great detail. Each shell has a little information blurb next to it that gives fun details about each one.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous work of art and delightful way to get nonfiction into the hands of young readers. The illustrative design fof A Shell Is Cozy presents minimal content information about mollusks and presumes readers will seek additional as-needed information. While the text is minimal, each page describing a single characteristic of shell life, the work-of-art illustrations create reader appeal. Presenting nature through art with brief and relevant descriptors gives this series eye-catching appeal. Others in the series include A Butterfly Is Patient, A Seed Is Sleepy, A Nest Is Noisy, A Beetle Is Shy and other titles.

[Sunday]

This is a beautiful book with a lot of fascinating shells featured but the headings didn't work for me. For example, under "a shell is showy" there were no details about shells being showy just the physical features of three types of mollusks (and colors were not included); couldn't figure out the "showy" part. I'm not sure how "a shell is artistic" - the examples are of designers/musicians/architects being inspired by shells; the shells themselves are not artistic. "A shell is hatched...and protective" - this one just felt awkward; a mollusk begins as an egg and over time develops a shell.

[L M]

Like the other books in its series A Shell is Cozy I’d a wonderful book - beautiful, amazing, contemplative, informative, and enlightening. Diana Hutts Aston’s text is bountiful with facts that engage beyond the basics about shells and their owners
Gorgeous and scientifically accurate illustrations by Sylvia Long. Every page was beautiful and illuminating

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 Stars I liked this book , the pictures are lovely but it just wasn't something I enjoyed. I think the most exciting thing about the book is the Christian Dior Shell Dress (look it up on the internet stunning) and the Italian Watts Towers. I like to collect Sea Shell and I know they are discarded homes and I would recommend this book, but it isn't something I would go back to.

[Isa Rive · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a child, I collected a handful of beautiful shells which I still have in a padded treasure box.
So I was drawn to this book, which is the first of this acclaimed duos output that I have read. The hyper vivid illustrations are magnificent and it has a lovely narrative style. The book contains short facts about shells including the creatures in them and their significance to humans.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book by one of my favorite nonfiction writers. It is such a stunning ly beautiful book about shells and their importance. It shows what lives in shells, their habitats and how they eat. All her books are so informative and the pictures are so detailed.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the other books in this stellar series, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and the text is a pleasing blend of lyricism and factual tidbits that is satisfying for younger readers and while providing enough to spark interest in further study for older children.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and interesting too especially for a sea shell lover. I had never heard of the Watts Towers & enjoyed a separate search for more information on that art.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are magnificent, and the text includes both scientific and cultural information about shells.

[Cindy & Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a delightful book, beautifully illustrated!

[Lynn Hardesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, very informative book!

[Katey Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous and informative, as are all of their books.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative with beautiful art.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
(illustrations!)

[Amber]

Love this series

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is lovely. It does repeat itself quite a bit.

[Awjtf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely book!

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, lots of great information about shells. My kids and I learned a lot and enjoyed reading this together.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and just enough information for kids to learn about different types of shells and other things without feeling overwhelmed:

[Holly M · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the books in this series are beautifully illustrated, informative, and clever. Great series to read for children.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art, moderate amount of informative text. À bit of a confusing layout on the pages, but I still enjoyed this book. Good for maybe 2nd grade and up.