Book Review: Chrissie's Shell

32 full color pages

Ages 4+





Warner Press Web Site for Chrissie's Shell

Chrissie's Shell Facebook Page

From the website:

"Chrissie is a little turtle with a big problem: she believes her shell is empty. She spends her days comparing herself with other animals in the forest and imagining what it would be like to be them, only to end up disappointed again and again when she finds she cannot transform herself into someone new.

At last, when Chrissie is ready to give up all hope, she has a conversation with God. She begs Him to make her into a creature like the wonderful animals she has seen, but God has something better in mind. God explains why He has made Chrissie the way she is. He then directs her to the pond, where Chrissie finally captures a vision of herself as God sees her. She realizes her shell is not empty after all and that God loves her just the way she is.

Chrissie's Shell is supported by the scripture Psalm 139:14 NIV: I praise you for I am...wonderfully made. Throughout the book, Chrissie questions who she is and believes she is just an "invisible little someone in an oh, so empty shell." In her ultimate dialogue with God, she learns to see herself from God's perspective.  "

From Warners Press Release:

"Brooke Keith, the author of “Chrissie’s Shell,” was inspired to write the story through her volunteer work with a children’s charity where many of the children feel as though they are empty shells. They are limited in the things they can do and often say they wish they could be like everyone else. Brooke uses the story of Chrissie turtle with kids when they are in the hospital or having a particularly rough time. The little girl, Chrissie, for whom the book was named, died from chronic lung failure, which she had suffered with from birth."

About the Author:

"Brooke Keith is the author of “Chrissie’s Shell,” and her children’s poetry has appeared in children’s magazines and storybooks around the world. She is a devotional and family writer for the Christian Broadcasting Network, a columnist for War Cry Magazine and a regular contributor for many well-loved Christian magazines such as Mature Living, Christianity Today, and Young Salvationist among others. When Brooke isn’t writing, she is a volunteer and mentor for the Hugs and Hope Foundation. She lives with her husband Chris and their four children, Alex, Brock, Emily and baby Jack in Lula, Ga."


Our Personal Opinion and Experience:

I  have read this book over and over for the kids. They really loved all the pictures and related to how Chrissie was feeling. I liked how this book was able to easily lead into an in depth conversation with the kids. My kids range from under one to teenagers. The older kids enjoyed reading it to the younger  and they were able to give personal examples to the younger for them to understand.

This book not only teaches how to be thankful for who and what you are, but also how each person is created with different abilities that make the world a better place.

The illustrator of this book did a fantastic job, as each animal had a personality each their own just through their eyes. The "cuteness" of the animals made this very easy to keep the younger children engrossed in the story, as they listened to very important life lessons.

I would recommend this book to anyone that has children in the house. It would be a wonderful addition to any library and to anyone who would like to help teach the lesson presented in this book.

The kids enjoyed the discussions and sharing that this book produced after each and every reading. It has helped in leaving not only life lessons learned, but also endearing family moments that will forever remain in our minds.

Keep in mind that this book also led into conversations about death because of the death of Chrissie, whom this book is named for. It is surprising how this book has opened a valuable experience in speaking with my kids about topics such as these.