POND WALK

Buddy the little bear returns for a lesson in limnology, the study of bodies of fresh water (Rocks, Rocks, Rocks!, 2009, etc.). Buddy is game for about anything, and because he’s game he has a good time. When his mother suggests a pond walk, Buddy’s all over it. “Yes!” said Buddy. “I like ponds! I hope I see a turtle!” Donning their boots—galumphing galoshes in Wallace’s handsome cut-paper collages—they go mucking about in a neighborhood pond. Buddy’s curiosity is satisfied by his mother, whose guidebook identifies damselflies, dragonflies, salamanders, lily pads, pond skaters and whirligig beetles. Buddy peppers their gentle adventure with corny jokes—“How did the frog feel when it hurt its leg?... Very unHOPPY!”—and his enthusiasm has a nice droll edge to it: “Duckweed!” he exclaims with delight when his mother identifies it. When a turtle finally mooches into view, Buddy yodels “Tur… …tle!,” whereupon it slips under the water. That’s not a problem, however, as Buddy gets his drawing pad and chronicles the event, and when he returns home he makes his own rock turtle (instructions included). As Wallace imparts her pond knowledge, she fashions a day of simple pleasures—poking around, drawing, picnicking, snoozing—that is a heart-gladdening exemplar. (Picture book. 4-8)