The Lost Shell

“The Tantrum” is no stranger to most of us! In supermarket queues the sight and sound of a prostrate three-year-old giving it all in the pursuit of emotional release, is not something to forget! Yet, this plucky little person is expressing how it feels to be in the grip of a tangle of unidentifiable emotions, unable to communicate when asked “What’s the matter?” In the simple story of The Lost Shell, a Granny uses story to find a way through the confusion of a child’s pent-up emotions, preceding the birth of a sibling. The Lost Shell is designed to be enjoyed by carer and child together, and allows the child to read the pictures and tell the story in their own words. In talking about the story and pictures the child may identify with some of the emotions shown there. Among the possible feelings may be anger, sadness, loss, separation, love, comfort, change, joy, friendship, co-operation, curiosity, generosity, kindness, fear, achievement, and satisfaction in initiating bonding (making friends) with another. A child may recognise only a few of these feelings, but the list might prove useful to the carer, perhaps in identifying some familiar feelings of their own! We are never too old to learn. How many of us “grown-ups” have nearly “lost it” on occasion and even sensed the tantrum at our shoulder! The Lost Shell can become a delightful resource to share over and again, building mutual self-awareness while fostering the emotional intelligence, vital to navigating the future - without running aground on Tantrum Island!

It's time for another adventure in Fairy Hill! Fairy Hill is a magic forest where fairies live, play, and have lots of sparkly adventures in this Level 1 reader series! Ruby, Luna, and May are best friends. These young fairies are all looking forward to earning their big wings from the Fairy Queen. But first they each have to do something extra kind or brave. In book #2, a magic shell goes missing! Without it, the glow globes that light up Fairy Hill will all go dark -- and the Fairy Queen will have to cancel the Fairy Ball! Luna, Ruby, and May go looking for the shell. They find out a chipmunk is using it to light his tree. Luna has an idea to get the shell back! Will she be able to bring the light back to Fairy Hill before the ball?

Performing Arts

Tutu the tortoise wants to play, run, jump and swim with her friends, so she takes off her shell and leaves it under a tree. As night falls, she looks for her shell - but it has gone Who could have taken it? Tutu cries and her friends gather round to help her.

Following the trails of Hawai‘i’s snails to explore the simultaneously biological and cultural significance of extinction. In this time of extinctions, the humble snail rarely gets a mention. And yet snails are disappearing faster than any other species. In A World in a Shell, Thom van Dooren offers a collection of snail stories from Hawai‘i—once home to more than 750 species of land snails, almost two-thirds of which are now gone. Following snail trails through forests, laboratories, museums, and even a military training facility, and meeting with scientists and Native Hawaiians, van Dooren explores ongoing processes of ecological and cultural loss as they are woven through with possibilities for hope, care, mourning, and resilience. Van Dooren recounts the fascinating history of snail decline in the Hawaiian Islands: from deforestation for agriculture, timber, and more, through the nineteenth century shell collecting mania of missionary settlers, and on to the contemporary impacts of introduced predators. Along the way he asks how both snail loss and conservation efforts have been tangled up with larger processes of colonization, militarization, and globalization. These snail stories provide a potent window into ongoing global process of environmental and cultural change, including the largely unnoticed disappearance of countless snails, insects, and other less charismatic species. Ultimately, van Dooren seeks to cultivate a sense of wonder and appreciation for our damaged planet, revealing the world of possibilities and relationships that lies coiled within a snail’s shell.

Cornelius Washington is brimming with ambition and talent before his life is torn apart by a crack addiction. Taking the form of a diary and written in an arresting stream-of-consciousness style, Iced ponders the gritty realities of Cornelius's present and past upheavals that have led him here. Iced paints a portrait of being Black in America and the ways marginalised communities suffer the consequences of shortsighted political policies. First published in 1993, in the wake of the crack epidemic, Iced mixes the syncopated language of the streets with poetry from the heart to take the reader deep into the horrifying world of addiction.

SpongeBob SquarePants is sleeping peacefully when he hears the cries of Gary, his pet snail. Gary is wailing because his shell is missing. Where could it be? SpongeBob DetectivePants and his trusty assistant, Patrick, are on the case and they won’t rest until the lost shell is back on Gary’s…back. Don't miss this hilarious mystery that comes with holographic stickers!