Review Detail

Shell Seeker is a biography of Geerat Vermeiji, a Dutch-American expert on shells and evolutionary patterns. Blind from a young age, Geerat pursued his curiosity for nature and the shells found on the beach through less traditional observations - the feel of different shells in his hands, how the changes in patterns connected to the sounds of musical variations. School wasn't easy, but with the help of some friendly teachers and his own perseverance, Geerat demonstrated his skill and knowledge to experts at the highest levels and was able to contribute to notable discoveries.

It's an inspiring story of passion and ability overcoming perceived disability. After a few years at a specialized school for the blind, most of Geerat's education was in a classroom of peers who could see, and he repeatedly dispelled doubts that he could not keep up with the academic material (no braille books on the subject? he took his own notes) or would not be able to conduct field work (he went anyway, and found out what he wanted to know).

On the scientific side, there's also a wealth of information on shells, gastropods, and important aspects of field work or investigations. Bolded terms throughout are defined in an ending glossary, and illustrated insets show close up details of the insides of a gastropod or bivalve. End materials also include suggested research topics or science experiments to expand on topics in the book, in addition to supplemental educator guides available online at the NSTA website.