Book cover titled "cora's corals" by John Cayden, featuring an illustration of a cartoon shrimp underwater with coral and rocks in the background.

CORA

Cora’s Corals

An undersea tour of corals with Cora the little shrimp

My newest children's book beautifully highlights over twenty types of coral found in coral reefs around the world. The book aims to educate early readers about the diversity, structure and uniqueness of coral species and their unique ecological niche, while sparking imagination and curiosity about the vast and amazing diversity of ocean life and the underwater nurseries we call reefs.

Scientists who study corals are working hard to understand and protect these important life forms as the ocean waters become warmer.

This book puts differing coral species together with a fictitious little pink shrimp by the name of Cora.

With coloring pages! 

Illustration of coral with various colors and shapes, some resembling trumpet, horn, or bullseye formations, with a small shrimp named Cora near green coral and purple coral in the background.
Paperback Available Here
Hardback Available Here
Colorful coral reef with rainbow-colored corals, a small shrimp, and a blue background

Sample Graphic Page Spreads from Cora’s Corals

Underwater scene with coral structures and a small red sea creature with a speech bubble saying 'I see you!'.
Underwater scene featuring colorful coral and small fish, with a shrimp near the coral, and a poem about whip corals.

4ocean removes plastic waste and other man-made trash and debris directly from the open ocean and environments where plastic is at high-risk of entering the ocean. This includes select rivers as well as vulnerable coastal ecosystems like mangrove forests, coral reefs, estuaries and beaches. They have great merchandise too! I’m a supporter!

4 ocean

Coral Featured in Cora’s Corals

  • Fan Coral | Gorgonia ventalina

  • Black Coral | Antipathes dichotoma

  • Blue Coral | Heliopora coerulea

  • Boulder Star Coral | Orbicella annularis

  • Bubble Coral | Plerogyra sinuosa

  • Brain Coral | Platygyra daedalea

  • Cauliflower Coral | Pocillopora verrucosa

  • Lettuce Coral | Pavona gigantea (or similar)

  • Gorgonians Coral | Dendronephthya hemprichi

  • Mushroom Coral | Fungia fungites

  • Pencil Coral | Porites compressa 

  • Pillar Coral | Dendrogyra cylindrus

  • Pipe Coral | Tubastraea coccinea

  • Porous/Pore Coral | Porites porites

  • Stag Coral | Acropora cervicornis

  • Sun Coral | Tubastrea coccinea

  • Table Coral | Acropora palmata

  • Whip Coral | Ellisella elongata

Underwater scene featuring colorful branching fire coral, a small shrimp, and tiny white polyps, with a calming blue background and a warning message about coral's sting.

Cora’s Corals TikTok Video

Here’s a peak at the book and my attempt to get NPR’s attention… but it didn’t work - LOL!

Short Video of Cora’s Corals by John Cayden prepared for TikTok

Coral Resources!

This NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) program is focused on monitoring coral reefs around the world. It provides up-to-date data on coral bleaching events, predictive models, and scientific reports on the state of coral reefs globally.

NOAA Coral Reef Watch

The Ocean Agency works on raising awareness about ocean conservation and coral reef protection. This site is backed by scientific data and visual storytelling to highlight coral bleaching events and how climate change is impacting marine ecosystems.

The Ocean Agency - The Coral Triangle Initiative

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) is a leader in coral reef research. This page provides scientific insights into coral bleaching, including causes, effects, and monitoring efforts, with a special focus on the Great Barrier Reef.

Australian Coral Bleaching Research Program (AIMS)

NOAA conducts three-year intensive regional initiatives to advance the understanding, conservation, and management of deep sea ecosystems. These initiatives include research cruises aboard scientific research vessels.

Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) 

National Coral & Sponge Data
A small shrimp standing on a large pebble near a body of water.

Check this out!

THE BRILLIANT DEEP

This button will take you to a different website

A coral reef with a pink shrimp named Cora and a smaller pink baby shrimp swimming near it against a beautiful blue ocean background.

The Brilliant Deep 

Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs

Check out this is an great children’s book by Kate Messner and Matthew Forsythe. This book is about the life and work of Coral Restoration Foundation founder Ken Nedimyer and earned a starred review from School Library Journal, which called it “A book that can be used in so many ways—a study in biography, science, conservation, and volunteerism. A must for nonfiction collections.”

This is actually a page from my book Cora’s Corals cause I don’t have permission to show Kate and Matthew’s work.