Customer Reviews

Pond

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This is a wonderful book that can be enjoyed by all age groups and levels of education. The book's introduction says "Although a pond looks peaceful, a pond is home to more creatures doing more things than you imagined. There are millions of ponds everywhere. . .there is a good chance that one is close to your home."

The book does a good job of telling the reader about these creatures and their activities. Pond is written primarily for younger readers. From the beginning it stresses safety and adult involvement in the field activities. The book has excellent illustrations of the pond organisms and the equipment needed for the field activities. The pictures are very communicative and would be enjoyed by younger readers. The accompanying text may be a little beyond their understanding.

Overall the book describes the pond creatures, their habitats, and their activities. Some of the habitats mentioned include the surface film, lily pads, water column, and bottom muck (benthos). Some activities covered are feeding, laying eggs, photosynthesis, and absorbing oxygen, plus others. The book also talks about changing conditions in a pond, such as when it rains, nightime critters and activities, and the pond during different seasons.

The end of the book has seven pages of common pond creatures. It groups them by mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, non-insect invertebrates, plants, fungi, protists, and monera. Both this section and the well-organized index contain many pictures. The groupings may be lost on younger readers, but are very useful for higher level students.

All in all I really like this book. It is well organized and an enjoyable read. As a college educator I use this book as a reference source, yet can read it and show the wonderful illustrations to my young nieces.

This is one of the best books in a spectacular series that represnts the world, particularly to the young child, as a place of science, high drama, and magic. The magnificent illustrations of Patricia J. Wynne, the world-renowned natural history artist, pull the reader into the world of the small small pond with power and intimacy that no photograph could ever match; the clear and concise text of Donald M. Silver encourages the exploration of science and the joy of reading. I highly recommend this book to teachers, libraries, and parents everywhere, and suggest pursuing the rest of the series as well.

This book is a one of the gems of the One Small Square series. All of the One Small Square series, take the kids from the couch to outside even if all they do is read the book. Reading the book provides a host of information but actually getting out experiencing nature is a whole new level.

I would suggest this book for any kid (both young and old) that would like to learn more about a pond and its inhabitants. It doesn't replace a field guide, but in used in conjunction with it. The book does have some outlines and drawings for a basic identification.

One enhancement I would add for the book is more emphasis on sketching in a nature journal and writing. They talk about it in the beginning but I think a few reminders during the book would be helpful.

I read all of Donald Silver's "One Small Square" books as a child. I truly enjoyed each and every one, to the point that I wrote Donald Silver to encourage him to write more after I read them all. As someone who has grown up with a passion for the sciences, I highly recommend you share this awesome educational series with your children.

Absolutely gorgeous book. Highly recommended for our 'nature deficit' children. All of the books in this series are wonderful.