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Summary
Summary
On a summer night by a small pond, all seems still. But a closer look reveals a world of activity--mayflies dart, beetles dive, frogs spring, skunks shuffle, and owls swoop. As a young girl watches, the circle of life unfolds. Betsy Franco's rhythmic, cumulative text makes this a lively read-aloud, and rich, luminous paintings by Stefano Vitale capture the bold beauty of nature. Young readers will be inspired to journey into their own backyards and discover the wonder of the living, breathing world around them.
Author Notes
Betsy Franco is the author of numerous books for children, including Counting Our Way to the 100th Day! and Mathematickles! , both illustrated by Steven Salerno; and Birdsongs , illustrated by Steve Jenkins. She and her husband live in Palo Alto, California. They have three sons -- two actors and a sculptor. Visit Betsy's website at www.betsyfranco.com.
Stefano Vitale is the illustrator of several books for children, including the New York Times bestseller Why War Is Never a Good Idea by Alice Walker. Stefano lives with his wife and children in Venice, Italy. Please visit his website at stefanovitale.com.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rhythmic cadences and a dark palette are paired to explore the shadowy setting and circle of life for creatures that live near a pond. The majority of the book is a cumulative poem-"This is the water/ the deep, still water/ that filled the pond/ by Anna's house./ This is the algae/ the jade green algae..."-though Franco abandons the format, somewhat awkwardly, with two closing stanzas in Anna's voice. The algae is eaten by a mayfly nymph, the mayfly by a beetle, and a frog, snake, skunk, owl, raccoon and coyote make appearances, too. The overall tone is matter-of-fact yet lyrical, and Franco's ending "Facts to Pond-er" offers kid-pleasing details about the book's creatures. Vitale's somber, nighttime panoramas-oil on wood, with a strong horizontal grain-feature stylized figures that, while striking, may detach viewers from the insect gobbling and egg stealing described. Anna's facial expression is static, as if she were a carved figurehead on an ancient ship. Although the text is sometimes difficult to read against the muted paintings, young naturalists and poets will be intrigued nonetheless. Ages 4-8. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Preschool, Primary) In this evocative picture book Franco guides readers through one possible food chain in a pond ecosystem, accumulating lines of prose as each new consumer eats the animal at the trophic level below it. "This is the nymph / the mayfly nymph / that nibbled the algae / that grew in the water / that filled the pond / by Anna's house." By the end, we learn that Anna is the narrator, as well as top dog of the food chain (although she merely greets, not eats, the coyote below her window). Vitale's oil paintings on wood are creative and highly effective. Using blues, greens, and purples he transforms the wood grain into the ripples on the pond surface or clouds floating in the evening sky. The brighter, finely detailed animals painted over the grain are caught in the act of tracking or eating one another, in representations that are not at all frightening and that very much convey that this is part of the natural order. Additional facts about each animal are presented in the book's final pages. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Following the same rhythms and cumulative formula as the nursery rhyme The House That Jack Built, Franco creates a lively introduction to the ecosystem of a woodland world. This is the water / the deep, still water / that filled the pond / by Anna's house, begins the text, and with each line, Franco adds a new form of life, building up through the food chain from algae to a coyote, whose howls are heard by a little girl, snug in her bedroom, who calls back into the lively, deep night. Franco's words scan with an irresistible beat that will invite participation, while Vitale's stirring, oil-on-wood paintings evoke both the mystery and the wild activity of the natural nighttime world. Close-up images of specific animals will delight the youngest kids, while the large type and repeated phrases are well suited to the needs of beginning readers, who will also enjoy learning more in the final Facts to Pond-er spread of detailed information. A natural for cross-curricular use.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2009 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-This straightforward depiction of the food chain focuses on a pond near the house of a little girl named Anna. The poetic text builds in a "This Is the House That Jack Built" fashion, starting with "the deep, still water" and then introducing "the jade green algae," "the mayfly nymph," "the diving beetle," "the loud bullfrog," and so on up the chain. In the early pages, death is quick and no-nonsense: fly, beetle, frog, and snake are easily devoured by larger predators. Once the furry animals appear, however, the author is more circumspect; the owl merely dives for the skunk, and the coyote stalks the raccoon. Above it all, Anna hears the howl of a coyote and looks out her window, subtly reinforcing humanity's place at the top of the hierarchy. Vitale's rich, colorful oil-on-wood illustrations are as poetic as the text in their depiction of the natural world. An appended "facts to pond-er" section offers more information about the animals included. A clear, child-friendly look at ecology, this book is destined to find a home in storytimes and classrooms.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
What begins as a soothing, bedtime chant in the style of "The House that Jack Built" takes a dark turn as it covers the cycle of life. "This is the water, the deep, still water that filled the pond by Anna's house," it starts. Then readers see the nymph that eats the algae, the beetle that eats the nymph and so on. But when the food chain arrives at a snake eating a frog and a skunk eating the snake, one wonders what carnage lies ahead. The narrative pulls back at this point with an owl only diving for the skunk and ends with a coyote stalking a raccoon. Anna calls a "hello" back to the howling coyote, but it's hard to imagine most children not rooting for the prey here. Vitale's muted oils painted on wood lend themselves well to the nocturnal landscape and give depth to the murky water, but certain images, such as the beady-eyed snake and the frightening owl swooping toward the reader, might give little ones more than they bargained for. It's a worthwhile venture, to depict nature red in tooth and claw, but best saved for somewhat older readers. (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
