Around the Pond: Who's Been Here? [Hardcover]

Lindsay Barrett George (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Cammy and William follow an old deer path around the pond in search of blueberries. But unexpectedly they find a lot more. Clue after clue tells them what kind of animal has been there before and left its trace behind. Share their adventure in this handsome and informative companion toIn the Woods: Who's Been Here?andIn the Snow: Who's Been Here?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K?An introduction to eight different wild creatures that live near or in ponds. Following the same format she used in In the Woods and In the Snow (both Greenwillow, 1995), George creates a guessing game for two children taking a walk in a natural area. Here, the youngsters set out to pick blueberries for pie, but they are soon distracted by the telltale signs they see and items they find along an old deer path around a pond. With each discovery, they ask "Who's been here?" Turning the page provides the answer?viewers will find a brilliant gouache painting of the animal, fish, or bird in its natural habitat. There is a brief note on each creature at the end. A few quibbles?the wood duck's nest is so high in the tree that it is doubtful children could see into it (but readers have a wonderful bird's-eye view); the heron's body is shown but not the distinctive long legs; and it's not clear whether the river otter has running water to swim in. Flaws aside, the large detailed paintings and the brief text make this a lovely book to share with children as an introduction to animal life and to tracking.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-7. William and Cammy, the siblings who took us through the snow and into the woods in two previous books, are again our guides. This time, we follow them down a path along a pond. A page of text discusses clues left by an unseen animal, ending with the question, "Who's been here?" The opposite page presents the information in visual form, with the follow-up double-page spread revealing the animal in a beautifully rendered gouache painting. Some clues, such as the children's discovery of a dam, are obvious. Others, such as "a large, gray feather," are almost impossible to guess. The guessing aspect that children find so much fun will, of course, be greatly diminished after the first reading, but the spectacular lifelike paintings invite repeated examination. Another superb installment in a unique series. Lauren Peterson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (September 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688143768
• ISBN-13: 978-0688143763
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, December 3, 2007

By 

Reese (Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Around the Pond: Who's Been Here? (Hardcover)

I have taught first grade fot 21 years, and my children ADORE the three "Who's Been Here" books that I own. When I read these stories the children are on their knees leaning forward trying to guess what is on the next page. I would recommend these books to anyone. I think the intrigue is heightened by the presentation. We pretend we are detectives who have to use the clues to solve the "Who's been here?" question.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Review of "Around the Pond: Who's Been Here?", August 11, 2005

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Around the Pond: Who's Been Here? (Hardcover)

I really wanted to write a hardy recommendation for this book. It has marvelous pictures and an interesting concept, but I am stymied in relaying how much *I* liked it, because my children did not care for it. (They are girl and boy; 5 and 3).

"Around the Pond" has marvelous artwork. Big, sometimes double page, drawings of animals and children, but for some reason that was not enough to entrance my kids.

The concept is that Cammy and William are out on a muggy summer's day picking blueberries. As they walk around the lake they find 'telltales' of animals that have been there before them. We see baby wood ducks in their tree nest, a baby raccoon and its tiny footprint, a daddy sunfish guarding his eggs, a beaver, a painted terrapin and her eggs, a garter snake and its shed skin, a blue heron catching a fish, and an otter.

Why it didn't interest my children... I don't know. Perhaps your children will like it better.

Three Stars. I, personally, would give it more; but my children would give it less. This book has a nice concept and wonderful drawings. My only objection is that the information on what the animals are doing (for example, what the sunfish was doing making a shallow bowl in the sand) was relegated to the last page.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent picture book, December 9, 2011

By 

Mary M. Hall - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Around the Pond: Who's Been Here? (Hardcover)

This picture book is part of a series by this author, perfect to teach inference to young readers. The gorgeous illustrations enhance the text and support teaching perspective in illustrations. An excellent mentor text for grade 2. I found this author in the Houghton Mifflin anthology where they missed the true power of the book by combining the question and answer pictures into one spread--the magic of this book is the turn of the page...