Pond Circle

The dark pond had a slight ripple across the surface, reflecting the windows of Anna's house. The pond's "jade green algae" speckled the water and a mayfly nymph nibbled some next to a lily pad at the surface. Suddenly a diving beetle gave chase to the nymph who was unable to escape even when he quickly dove down under the water. Underneath the surface of the pond the lustrous colors of the plants and the water were beautiful. The diving beetle was spotted by a "loud bullfrog" and the chase was on. The beetle would be a great snack for him. In the animal kingdom there are many species below the tertiary predator, but in the scheme of things even a bullfrog was quite low down on the chain! "This is the snake the garter snake that swallowed the frog that gobbled the beetle that ate the nymph that nibbled the algae that grew in the water that filled the pond by Anna's house." I thoroughly enjoyed the storybook format of a pond food chain adventure. It is a great way to introduce children to ecology. The rhythmical text was a lot of fun and reminded me a lot of the song "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" because the text is repetitive and cumulative. Anyone who is musical could easily strum or play a simple melody and sing the lyrics to their children or young students. The full page artwork is vibrant and creates a little aura of mystique and mystery . . . what will that critter eat? In the back of the book is a section of "facts to pond-er" that discusses the creatures in this food chain (algae, mayfly nymph, predaceous diving beetle, bullfrog, giant garter snake, striped skunk, great horned own, raccoon and the coyote). If you are looking for an introductory food chain who-eats-what picture book, this should be your book of choice!

Written in the cumulative style of "This is the house that Jack built", this gorgeously-illustrated (by Stefano Vitale) picture book tells the story of the circle of life as it unfolds in a little pond. Author Betsy Franco's prose unfolds in a rhythmic and soothing fashion, lulling readers and listeners alike into a state of calm as the circle of life begins with the green algae, that gets consumed by the mayfly nymph, that gets eaten by the diving beetle, that gets gobbled by the bullfrog, and so it goes on and on. The illustrations are not only beautiful, but painted in vivid colors, engaging my preschooler's attention, and delighting us both with the rhythmic, flowing prose. This picture book would be great for teaching children about the ecosystem in a pond and is perfect for reading aloud. Highly recommended!

Knowing how essential it is that young people become aware of the interdependence of species in a natural system -- and the importance of each link in that system -- I am incredibly excited about Betsy Franco's simple, lyrical, beautiful, lively, exceptionally fun, cumulative-tale-of-a-picture book that is POND CIRCLE. This is a book that shows young readers how a neighborhood ecosystem begins with the algae in the pond and works its way up to the howling, prowling coyote: "This is the coyote/out in the dark/that stalked the raccoon/the hungry raccoon/that stole the eggs/of the great horned owl/that dived for the skunk/the shy striped skunk/that caught the snake/the garter snake/that swallowed the frog/the loud bullfrog/that gobbled the beetle/the diving beetle/that ate the nymph/the mayfly nymph/that nibbled the algae/the jade green algae/that grew in the water/ the deep, still water/that filled the pond/by Anna's house." But what makes POND CIRCLE a truly memorable picture book are Stefano Vitale's paintings depicting the circle of life in and about that pond. I still clearly recall, a dozen years ago as Children's Buyer, first examining Vitale's re-illustration of Charlotte Zolotow's WHEN THE WIND STOPS. Vitale has an extremely distinctive style in which he uses oils on plywood in a manner that the grain is often still visible through the paint. Over the years I've been in love with so many of his covers and his picture books, but this is his best work yet. The flying-in-your-face horned owl, caught-in-the-act raccoon, and big-attitude coyote are absolute characters! From the first two-page spread -- where Vitale utilizes the wavering, concentric curves in the grain as ripples in the pond that, in turn, reflect Anna's house in the water -- to the final spreads where the grains are transformed into moon-lit striated clouds, POND CIRCLE is a stunning work of art that will have young readers howling with delight. "I am the girl/who heard the coyote/looked up from her book/leaned out the window/ and howled back/"Hello, hello,/hello, out there,'" It is so fulfilling to see that there are places like the Hudson River where there is real progress being made on healing the grievous damage done to Mother Earth. POND CIRCLE is one of those great picture book stories that can help foster a new generation of budding environmentalists to continue that healing.