Picture Books (Science): Pond Life

I love to visit a local pond which is tucked away in the middle of town.  I look forward to spring when there are animal babies. During a recent trip, I saw so many exciting creatures, such as ducklings, goslings, a water snake, turtles, tadpoles, and a blue jay.   Today, I highlight my five favorite juvenile books about pond life.  I hope you get a chance to visit a pond this spring.  Either way, these selections are sure to inspire young explorers.  

Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond (by Mary Quattlebaum):

Like its title suggests, this fun story cleverly uses the beloved “Old MacDonald” song as inspiration.  The narrative follows a young girl’s exploration of a pond on her family farm.  She carries with her a notebook where she draws the plants and creatures she finds. The soft, watercolor illustrations are contrasted with a white background, keeping it simple and focused on the pond itself.  There is a great use of onomatopoeia.  For instance, the reeds go “swish, swish,” the deer “flick, flick” (as it drinks), and the dragonflies “whir, whir.”  As the exploration ends, Jo runs to playfully share her drawings with “Old MacDonald.” The closing pages reveal her drawings as wells as facts about ponds, additional resources on them, and ways to be a young naturalist.  Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond is ideal for ages 3-8. 

Pond Walk (by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace):

On summer morning, Buddy and Mamma decide to go on a pond walk.  Buddy wants to see a turtle more than anything!  As he investigates, his mamma helps him identify insects and animals.  They discuss what they know about them and tell silly jokes.  Buddy draws a picture of each creature and plant he sees like whirling beetles, a frog, cattail plants, dragonflies, a lily pad, and a salamander. The duo share a picnic lunch at the pond before heading home.  They finally spot a turtle but in an unexpected way!  The illustrations are typical of Wallace’s style—simple shapes using paper collage, photographs, and colored pencils.  Instructions at the end demonstrate how you can make a rock turtle with your little ones.  Pond Walk is a fun book for ages 3-8. 

Would You Rather Be a Pollywog?  (by Bonnie Worth):

This narrative is hosted by none other than the Cat in the Hat who teaches his child companions all about pond life. Though it is written in free verse poetic form with simple vocabulary and sight words, it delves into things big and small at the pond.  He begins by introducing microscopic organism like spirulina and amoeba.  Readers get a look at what can be seen in a microscope.  Next, he shows the snails, worms, and leeches on the pond’s floor.  Thing 1 and Thing 2 stop by to help out with the difference between a complete and an incomplete metamorphosis. Much more is revealed about the fish, insects, and other animals that make up this habitat. The narrative ends with one of the Cat’s unusual antics.  I recommend Would You Rather Be a Pollywog for ages 5-9.  Early Reader,

Looking Closely Around the Pond (by Frank Serafini):

This selection begins with a spy-hole view of a small part of something in the pond surroundings. The text asks, “Look very closely. What do you see?”  Several suggestions are made as possibilities.  Children can pick one of them or make their own guesses.  Turning the page reveals the animal or plant in full.  Two short paragraphs are written about each one.  For animals, their habits, such as eating, nesting, and protecting themselves, is disclosed.   For plants, their role in the pond habitat is explained.   This same pattern is repeated for each one like the box turtle, shubunkin, mallard duck, dragonfly, water lily, cattail, and tiger salamander.  The final page reveals a sweeping view of the pond at dusk.  The photograph illustrations are vivid and striking.  Looking Closely Around the Pond is recommended for ages 5 and up.

Life in a Pond (by Adam Hibbert):

This brilliant book is oozing with stunning photographs of plant and animal life.   There are so many amazing close-up shots from everything from algae and microscopic volvox to killer grubs and water boatman.  The fascinating text delves into the lives of the northern water snake, the great blue heron, the fearsome mink, and the red-spotted newt.   Creepy crawlers also abound like snails, mosquitoes, grubs, and leeches.  A snapshot of some of the most interesting information is given on each one.  Life in a Pond is a visual delight that ages 7 and up will love! 

This post is linked up with Science Sunday at Adventures of Mommydom and NonFiction Monday at Apple with Many Seeds.  

Poetry Friday: Science Verse (by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith)

I am thrilled to share this week’s poetry collection—Science Verse (by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith).  These two authors know how to turn things upside down and make your rethink how you look at everything from fairy tales to science!  This collection is no exception.   The book begins with a group of children in class.  Their science teacher tells them that if they listen closely they will “hear the poetry of science in everything.”  One of the students is zapped with a curse of science verse.  He begins to think of everything in the form of a poem.  The poems and pictures that follow are his journey through the world of science and language.   

The duo uses nursery rhymes, popular songs, and famous adult works as models for their entertaining, educational, and, at times, irreverent poetry.  “Lovely” parallels Joyce Kilmer’s “Trees.”

“Lovely”

I think that I ain’t never seen

A poem ugly as a spleen.

A poem that could make you shiver,

Like 3.5 … pounds of liver.

A poem to make you lose your lunch,

Tie your intestines in a bunch.

A poem all gray, wet, and swollen,

Like a stomach or a colon.

Sometimes like your kidney, lung,

Pancreas, bladder, even tongue.

Why you turning green, good buddy?

It’s just human body study.

This next selection follows the rhythm of the children’s song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

“Food Chains”

“I’ve been working in the food chain,

All the livelong day.

In the middle of the food chain,

I’ve got no time to play.

Can’t you see the green plants growing?

That’s energy, okay?

Consumer eats up the producer,

Predator eats prey.

Who’s for lunch today?

Who’s for lunch today?

Don’t you just wonder, who’s for lunch today?

Predator or prey.

Predator or prey.

Eat or be eaten, that’s the only way.

Under “Why Scientists Don’t Write Nursery Rhymes” is a “Mary Had a Little Lamb” parody.

“Mary Had A…”

Mary had a little worm.

She thought it was a chigger.

But everything that Mary ate,

Only made it bigger.

It came with her to school one day,

And gave the kids a fright,

Especially when the teacher said,

“Now that’s a parasite.”

As the book comes to a close, it is revealed that the student with the science verse curse was asleep (in class) the whole time!  Science Verse is witty and entertaining, but it also has several educational tie ins.  Subjects covered are evolution, water cycle, human body, space/astronomy, dinosaurs, food chains, chemistry, scientific method, senses, matter, and life cycles.

Teaching Opportunities:

• Poetry:  students can write their own poems using nursery rhymes, children’s songs, or other poems as models.
• Sound Devices:  identify rhyme, alliteration, consonance, and so forth
• Figurative Language:  identify and discuss examples (similes, puns, personification)
• Science:  use a poem to begin a science lesson or unit study; discuss what is revealed through the poem about the subject
• Critical Thinking:  look carefully together to distinguish fact from fiction in the poems

 Today is Poetry Friday!  Check out other great poems and anthologies at the round up at Book Talking. 

Picture Books (Science): Animals, Adaption, and Interdependence

Sylvan Dell has two new Spring Releases that focus on interdependence adaption, and food webs in nature.

Summary of Gopher to the Rescue!  (by Terry Catasus Jennings)  

The ground moves and shakes.  Rumbles penetrate the silent mountain woodlands.  Steam and ash trickle into the air.  Gopher busily digs in his burrow.  The rumbling and shaking become more intense.  Then, a sound resonates through the woods, violent and thunderous.  Gopher continues digging in his burrow.   The mountain explodes and disappears in a cloud of ash and rock.  Even though many animals and plants are destroyed in the blast, gopher is safe in his home.   In this now nearly desolate area of the mountain, few creatures have survived.   The remainder of the narrative describes how the mountain recovers with the vital help of gopher and other survivors, drawing on the scientific observations made after the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. 

Evaluation: 

Gopher to the Rescue!  A Volcano Recovery Story is a good balance of engaging narrative and nonfiction information.  The text is straightforward enough that young readers will enjoy it, but dense enough to be a springboard for many science topics like environmental changes, volcanoes, habitats, landforms,, food chains, and so forth.  The illustrations (by Laurie O’Keefe) are rich and detailed, revealing not only the beauty of the woodlands but the desolation of the area after the eruption.  This book is a beautiful story of the resilience of nature and a testimony of hope in the midst of disaster.  I recommend it for ages 4-11.

For more teaching ideas and resources, visit the book page at Sylvan Dell and the 40-page Teaching Activity Guide. 

Summary of Home in the Cave (by Janet Halfmann)   

Deep within a dark cave, Baby Bat snuggles close to his mother.  He is comfortable and safe.  He never wants to leave the cave—ever!   When his mother leaves for her nightly insect hunt, he hears the other youngster describe the dangers lurking outside the cave.  He is determined to never leave!  While practicing his flying, he crashes into a wall and lands in a packrat’s nest.  His new rodent friend leads him on a tour of their habitat where they meet birds, snakes, salamanders, fish, and a host of insects.  Baby Bat learns his vital role in the cave food chain, and he overcomes his fears of the outside world. 

Evaluation:

Using the point of view of a child, Home in the Cave creates a narrative framework for youngster to explore the unknown on two levels.  First, he is venturing into and learning about his physical environment in a calm and simple manner.  Second, he is learning a valuable lesson about growing up and conquering fear.  Both of these lessons are beneficial to children.  Next, the book broadens a child’s experience with nature and expands his science vocabulary/background knowledge by fluidly revealing the wonders of the cave habitat.   Also, there are some excellent opportunities to discuss literary elements with examples of similes, hyperbole, and alliteration sprinkled within the text.  Finally, Shennen Bersani does an amazing job with light and color.   he maintains the dark atmosphere while illuminating the creatures and other elements in there (stalactites, stalagmites, nests, watering holes).  This book is recommended for children ages 4-9.  

For more teaching ideas and resources, visit the book page at Sylvan Dell and the 51-page Teaching Activity Guide. 

Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received copies of these books from Sylvan Dell Publishing in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

Picture Book (Science): Hey Diddle Diddle (by Pam Kapchinske)

Summary of Hey Diddle Diddle (by Pam Kapchinske):   

The narrative takes place in the forest where living thing from tiny bugs to great bobcats live.  It begins with a jolly-looking insect roaming among the flora and with this stanza: 

A shiny green beetle was strollin' along

tappin' his feet and singin' a song.

He said, "Hey diddle diddle--whaddaya know?

I've got six legs to help me go."

On the next page, a slithering snake swallows him up, followed by hawk swooping down to snatch up the snake.  The illustrations help transition to a new food chain beginning in and along a pond with a group of frogs sitting on a lily pad.  The account continues using various creatures and rhyming quatrains, which also reveal facts about the various insects and animals.  It ends with a bobcat (the top of the food chain), singing

"Hey diddle diddle--now fancy that, 

a nap sounds good to this old cat.

The lion's king (or so they say),

I guess that makes me queen today."

Evaluation: 

Hey Diddle Diddle is an ideal way to introduce or reinforce the concept of food chains as well as science terms, like vertebrate, invertebrate, prey, predator, herbivore, and carnivore.  Children will enjoy the vivid illustrations in shades of green and brown that aptly capture the natural habitat of the living things.  In addition, the light-hearted, rhythmic lines are pleasing to the ears.  They can be used as a spring board for early readers to learn about sounds (rhyme and alliteration).  Older readers learn to appreciate poetic language and rhythm.  I recommend this book for ages 5-8.  

Teaching Opportunities:

Sylvan Dell has developed a 49-page across the curriculum teaching guide to help you with some of teaching ideas above and many more.  The book page also includes various quizzes and other resources.  

This post is link up at Hope is a Word for Read Aloud Thursday.  Check out other great read alouds HERE.