Review by Booklist Review
This is a lovely picture book about plants and animals native to pond ecosystems. Each critter (e.g., mallard, catfish, beaver, dragonfly) and plant (cattails, water lilies) is highlighted in a double-page spread, with illustrations that span both pages, creating inviting vistas. The rhyming text features a variety of cadences and rhythms, ranging from lyrical descriptions of physical features to catchy rhymes ("Polly! Polly! Pollywog! Golly! Golly! Golly! Frog!"). The action begins at dawn with a blackbird singing its morning song and progresses through the day as turtles come out to sun themselves, herons hunt in the shadows, and muskrats and deer emerge as the daylight ebbs away. The mixed-media illustrations are vibrant and detailed and, like the poems, capture the interplay between the various entities that share the pond habitat. Back matter offers brief notes and fun facts for each subject. Perfect for reading out loud, this selection will pair nicely with nonfiction titles, reinforce curriculum standards, and enhance STEAM collections.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--4--Elliott's appreciative introduction to animals at a pond invites observation and enjoyment. At daybreak, "The red-winged blackbird spreads his sail/ and sings his hello morning song." A leaping bullfrog shares the dawning day, followed by 16 pond dwellers moving through 13 inviting double-page views. Elliott's nicely structured poems, most in blank verse, vary in simplicity and clarity for children. Schimler-Safford's skillful collage conveys setting and animals with beauty, energy, and bits of humor. For instance, a handsome duck family ("What a swimming portrait/ the dabbing mallards make") is soon followed by Harry the catfish, the only named animal, who has been given "a loving appellation" by an unspecified "they." A water strider is "Enigmatic/ yet prolific/ Each day/ he writes/ his story/ in rippling hieroglyphics." There are also beavers, muskrats, water snakes, and more. The pond appears to be in a remote area, the sun rising and setting over a spare hillside. A small boat or two appear occasionally, and two children once dash into view, setting startled turtles and geese into motion. The format of the book is very attractive, but many of the poems will be elusive for the younger grades. There's no definition or explanation of ponds, and while the concluding notes on plants and animals are interesting and fun, facts and explanation about each species are lacking. VERDICT A pleasant book for animal and poetry fans of varied ages.--Margaret Bush
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
After visiting such settings as the skies (On the Wing, rev. 11/14), the past (In the Past, rev. 3/18), and the forest (In the Woods, rev. 3/20), Elliott invites readers into another poetic exploration of the natural world. As the sun rises, ushered in by the buttery-yellow endpapers, "the water ripples like a fan / unfolding on the surface of the pond." A red-winged blackbird is first to greet the morning. With each page-turn, Elliott's sensory verse introduces a new resident of this habitat: e.g., a frog amidst vibrant pink water lilies, a snapping turtle under the pond's surface ready to send a minnow to its "hard-shelled fate," and "delicate, / diaphanous, / dazzling" dragonflies. Richly textured mixed-media illustrations present views of the pond and its inhabitants throughout the day, from a misty, ethereal morning to dusk when "the evening light is fading" and "the charismatic fireflies / blink their silent lullabies." Back matter provides additional information about the animals. This volume is a celebration of observation, and readers will surely heed the beckoning call of that red-winged blackbird beyond the book's pages. Grace McKinney March/April 2022 p.(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
"It springs to life! Another day has dawned." Whimsical, energetic, impressionistic poems and luminous, layered illustrations bring the world of a pond to life and show how its inhabitants move, behave, and interact throughout the day. "The water lilies open / in the morning sun. / Frog sits on a lily pad: / the show has just begun. / She's come to watch / the lilies open / one / by one / by one." Occasional bits of advanced vocabulary sometimes work more to further the rhythm than the description--words like enigmatic, domesticity, ancestral, and charismatic will likely be unfamiliar to young readers and are hard to define from the illustrations or immediate context. However, overall, these are evocative, memorable, and gently humorous poems that artfully capture the atmosphere and details of the environment. Interesting scientific facts and descriptions of the creatures are included in the backmatter. As in Elliott's other titles that focus on particular habitats, these poems showcase the natural world in breathtaking detail. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An engaging portrayal of pond life that will draw young readers in and lead them to further explore both poetry and nature. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
