Turtle Splash!: Countdown at the Pond

In this book ten turtles are sitting on a log, but one by one, they each jump into the water when startled by other creatures of the forest, like bullfrogs, ducks, and deer. The story rhymes, and has a lot of alliteration. At the end of the book is a reference section with short informative descriptions of the animals mentioned in the text. This is great for parents who are faced with follow up questions after reading the book. The story, with its countdown plot, makes a great wind-down at bed time. It has about 60 words.

Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond is the story of a day in the life of ten Eastern Painted Turtles. The basic premise of the book is learning the numbers one thru ten. The book begins with "Ten timid turtles, lounging in a line. Startled by a bullfrog...Then there are nine." Various creatures continue to disturb the turtles. One by one their numbers dwindle. The story concludes with all ten turtles reunited for the night. The numbers one thru ten are then reviewed. Falwell includes 2 pages of ecological information at the end of the story. Information is included about all of the wildlife mentioned in the book. The artwork in this book is striking. Each page contains a striking mixed media collage. The leaf prints and birch bark leave a realistic impression of life at the pond. The various animals depicted appear very lifelike. The Eastern Painted Turtles are especially well depicted. Several collages provide a clue to the next animal that the turtles will encounter. A rabbit is seen in the background on the page featuring the bullfrog. Part of the red squirrel's tale is seen on the page featuring the rabbit. A glimpse of the fawn's back is seen on the page featuring the red squirrel. The book also includes instructions on how to recreate Falwell's leaf prints.

My grandson loves this book! He likes to count the turtles, find the animals, and make all the animal sounds. He's even noticing the lively verbs and adjectives and has used them when he talks! The artwork is very attractive and textural. A wonderful book.

This beautiful counting book is a great introduction to nature as well. The bright collage illustrations are rich with texture and detail, and the perky text is fun to read to kids while they find clues to the next animal hidden in the pictures. There are information pages in the back that provide more interesting facts about each animal ( helpful to parents,too--I didn't know that turtles wintered over in the mud at the bottom of the pond!) and even an arts and crafts page that shows an easy way for children to make leaf prints.