Sally and the Limpet

Sally and the Limpet by James, Simon. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780763617158.

A little girl finds a small treasure by the sea - and learns that some things in nature need to stay where they are. One Sunday by the sea, Sally finds a brightly colored shellfish that is bigger than usual, and she wants to take it home. It makes a squelching noise and holds tight to its rock, but she keeps on pulling - until suddenly the limpet shell is stuck to her finger and won’t let go. Her dad yanks at it with his tools. Her brother tries to feed it lettuce. The doctor pours on chemicals and potions. Sally’s teacher says a limpet lives for twenty years and spends its lifetime on one rock, so now Sally’s really feeling upset. How can she put things back the way they were before? Breezy text and buoyant illustrations lend a lighthearted air to Simon James’s gentle fable about respecting the natural world.