Coral Heros - Coral Reef Ecology for Kids!

February 21, 2019 The new educational kids comic Coral Heros by awarded illustrator Bernhard Speh and SECORE International is published! Coral Heroes takes its readers on a lovingly drawn journey to the reefs of Towabonga, where they meet the mightiest builders on earth and get to know why corals need our help. Equipping children and teenagers with knowledge about corals reefs and why they are threatened may be the foundation for the next generation of decision makers, practitioners, conservationists and environmentally conscientious citizens. "We want to spread the word of how precious our coral reefs are, the wonderful underwater world they thrive in and how fragile their status is these days," says Dirk Petersen, SECORE, Founder and Executive Director. "Giving coral reefs a future, the claim of our organization, includes reaching out to the young generation; the ones that will see if our joint efforts will eventually be successful." The comic magazine Coral Heroes aims at educating kids on coral reef ecology, mainly addressing ages 8 to 12 years, while having fun!

What is Coral Heros?

Coral Heroes is a comic magazine with two stories and additional anecdotal facts about corals. In the first colorful story of Coral Heros, readers join the coral kids Al, Samy, Jo and Bran, as well as the unique Doc Kraken, who's wisdom leads the main characters through a journey into coral reef ecology--telling them what makes a coral reef and who actually builds it, why corals can sting and why they carry algae inside their bodies. In the second story, readers will join our heroes on a mystic night dive during the night of nights: the corals' rendezvous where they release their future offspring.  Readers will learn why coral reefs need our help and how coral restoration may give them a helping hand. The award winning illustrator, Bernhard Speh, who brilliantly brought Coral Heroes to life, has explored coral reefs as a diver himself.  "I am captivated by the colorful and often bizarre inhabitants of the diverse coral community. They are alive with brilliances and stories, which we all love to marvel.  The more I get to know about this spectacular and also fragile underwater world, the more fascinated I am."

Where can you find it?

Coral Heroes can be downloaded for free at  Secore, freely available for any institutional organization or just for fun.  On request, even high-resolution files can be provided. We invite all kinds of teachers, zoo and aquarium trainers, scoutmasters and others to use Coral Heroes along with the provided presentation about coral reef ecology and helpful background information to compile a lively lecture about coral reefs. Please enjoy!