POND

Superb watercolors and a brief but insightful text provide the reader with a detailed picture of a fresh-water pond and the changing plants and animals living in and near it, from winter to spring and back again. The layout is varied and handsome, and the illustrator frequently changes perspective in his layout to add drama and invite careful looking. Each double-page spread includes one or more paintings in full color with additional details provided in thumbnail pencil sketches. For example, in one frame, he shows a gathering of dragonflies on weeds, while the pencil drawings detail the dragonfly nymph, and compare the dragonfly and damselfly. Children will enjoy discovering the dozen animals and plants provided in a single sweeping panorama. And older readers will appreciate the explanations of how ice forms in ponds, and how they change over time. New facts are provided for experienced nature enthusiasts, too. For example, the barred owl may hunt in the daytime and young blackbirds mature rapidly, able to fly only a week after hatching. A celebration of nature that can be enjoyed by all. (Nonfiction. 6-9)