Review by Booklist Review
On a sunny summer day at a woodland pond while all manner of creatures leap, perch, lurch, flicker, flutter, scamper, scoot, and so on, six silent turtles sit still as stones. Falwell features the same type of turtle (Eastern Painted, though not identified as such here) as in her Turtle Splash (2001), and uses a similar collage technique. Small children will enjoy the rhyming, alliterative text and the accompanying vibrantly colored illustrations, which pack in plenty of action, especially when a strong wind startles the turtles from their log. Two pages at the end of the book feature appealingly displayed colored illustrations of each of the creatures that appear in the pictures, with a few short paragraphs giving a few facts about some of them, and the final page describes how to use carrots, tree bark, and other natural materials to create painted textures on paper. The style and topic bring to mind Denise Fleming's In the Small, Small Pond (1993).--Enos, Randall Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Extraordinary paper collages accompany a high-spirited romp at the pond that involves everyone but "six silent turtles [that] sit still as stones." Strong, predictable rhymes bounce across the pages: "Wood ducks glide./Water striders slide./Salamanders dash./Tadpoles splash." Unusual, lively words extend vocabulary: "Wriggle! Waggle! Scuttle! Skim!/On every reed and stone and limb!" The creatures hustle along until a strong wind surprises everyone and helps the log the turtles are on speed away. "Notes from Frog Song Pond" shows a photo of the author's tree house from which she observes critters and lists names of animals in the book and additional information about some of them. Children will also enjoy the "Printing Textures" page, which has directions and examples of creative textures, including bubble wrap and a broccoli flower. This is an engaging book for young children, but it could also inspire older readers to play with language and use vivid word pictures to add life to writing.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This tale features pond animals in action, from green frogs to great blue herons. Its constant, though, is "six silent turtles" that "sit still as stones" on a log--until story's end. Alliteration, rhyme, and a pleasant rhythm create effectively spare text, while bright collages present the animals, vegetation, and water artfully and accurately. An author's note about nature study is appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Six silent turtles sit on a log down at the pond. "Green frogs leap. / Beetles creep. / Finches perch. / Herons lurch. / Flicker! Flutter! / Scamper! / Scoot! On / every / rock / and / leaf / and / root!" But the six turtles continue to sit silent as stones. As various land and water creatures scurry and hurry, swing and zing around them, the turtles remain still as stones, until strong winds disturb the calm, startling the turtles, which suddenly speed away. The paper collages mirror the nature setting with colorful backgrounds in blue and green hues that reflect the lush atmosphere. Verbs and actions in large typeface bounce off the pages and pair smoothly with the lilt of the rhymes. Two pages of author's notes offer nature facts in journal style and a page suggests sources for printing textures, e.g. broccoli, carrots and bubble wrap. Like a paper diorama, this artistic, wide-angle view of pond life with sound effects is as rousing as the one from Falwell's tree house overlooking Frog Song Pond must be. (Photo with author's note) (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
