Ben Shrimpton, sometimes known as Shrimp by his less kind classmates, is small and very shy. He rarely opens his mouth in class, but when his teacher gives the pupils a wildlife project to do over the summer, Ben is interested. He likes shells, and as his collection and his knowledge grows, and he meets new people and goes to new places, his confidence grows too. It is a rather different Ben who begins the new school year, and when the famous TV naturalist chooses his project as one of the best, he realises he is 'Shrimp' no longer. Short, but well written and with lots of black and white line drawings, this book should give shy children an excellent role model.