School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-8 The sharp color photographs of a myriad of plant and animal specimens will entrance young naturalists; however, the small print of extended picture captions will detract from their appeal. This loosely organized, general introduction consists of 28 chapters (most are two pages long). In each, a paragraph of text provides an overview of a particular aspect of pond or river ecology. The remaining space is crammed with clear photographs of flora or fauna, accompanied by a caption of one or two sentences identifying them and describing their basic characteristics. Included are descriptions of seasonal pond life as well as short surveys of the kinds of fish, waterfowl, birds, reptiles, mammals, insects, mollusks, and plants that are commonly found in these environments. The majority of plants and animals depicted are common to Europe; most are also found in North America. Due to its excellent photographs, this title is more accessible than Samson's The Pond (Knopf, 1979; o.p.), a detailed examination of a particular pond's ecology. It also includes descriptions of a wider variety of plants and animals than Gorvett's Life in Ponds (American Heritage, 1970; o.p.). Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Plant and animal inhabitants of the pond are described with numerous color photographs, drawings, and brief text. While the photographs are eye-catching and dramatic, this title would be more useful if the author had provided scientific names, geographic distribution and size information for the plants and animals included. A typical two-page spread entitled ""Waterside Mammals"" includes a mink, water shrew, platypus, otter, and beaver without indicating the actual size of the animals or whether they occur in the same region. The American browser may well wonder at a selection of freshwater fish that focuses on the European rudd, roach, tench, bream, bitterling and gudgeon. Selections on the pond in spring, summer, autumn, and winter would have been more useful ii' the same plants and animals had been shown in each season. Young nature-browsers will enjoy the vivid photographs, but will need to look elsewhere for information on North American pond inhabitants. Indexed. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
