From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 5-Seasons set the stage for this celebration of the diverse life of ponds. The book begins with the poem, "Listen for Me," in which spring peepers wake from their winter hibernation and sing out, "Listen for me on a spring night,/on a wet night,/on a rainy night./…Listen for me tonight, tonight,/and I'll sing you to sleep." The melodic verse continues through summer with a cumulative poem that highlights the food chain of a pond, cattails in all seasons, and late fall when a painted turtle settles into the mud. Sidman employs several poetic forms, such as haiku and rhymed and unrhymed verse, and varied line structure, and her arrangement of the 11 poems is natural and exact. Each one is accompanied by a paragraph that provides scientific information about a specific creature, plant, or aspect of pond life. Prange's woodcuts are a natural accompaniment to these poetic compositions. The dark lines naturally contrast against watercolor hues that reflect the changing seasons. Beginning with subtle pastel shades of spring, tones gradually deepen through the lush colors of midsummer and conclude with subdued earthy browns and violet sunsets of early winter. Perspectives in illustrations shift from one poem to another, providing a unique depiction of the life below the water, on shore level, and in the surrounding reeds and trees. An organic union of poetry and science, this book encourages readers to ponder the minutiae and magnificent life of the natural world.-Shawn Brommer, South Central Library System, Madison, WI
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*Starred Review* Gr. 3-5. In this strikingly illustrated collection, science facts combine with vivid poems about pond life through the seasons. Focusing on one pond creature or plant per spread, Sidman employs many poetic forms, including austere haikus and rollicking sea shanties, and her fine selections are both accessible and sophisticated. Younger children may need help with the science allusions, although accompanying prose paragraphs will give some background; many poems integrate the science beautifully, particularly a marching, cumulative selection about the pond web of life. Some poems burst with sweet, joyful noise, such as the sounds of a duck family's first spring swim: "Peek, peek, / water sparkling! / Deep breath, / leaping, leaping. / Splash down." Others bring haunting immediacy to abstract concepts such as hibernation: "No more bugs / and basking. Last breath, last sight / of light and down I go, into the mud," says a turtle. Throughout, plants and animals come alive in the bold woodcut prints, reminiscent of Mary Azarian's work, which are hand-colored in watery blues and lily-pad green. A glossary of science terms closes this elegant, inspiring volume, which teachers will use across the curriculum. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“In this strikingly illustrated collection, science facts combine with vivid poems about pond life through the seasons." Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"With its unique combination of fact and fancy, this book is bound to delight pint-sized scientists and environmentalists —and language lovers, too." Publishers Weekly, Starred
"An organic union of poetry and science, this book encourages readers to ponder the minutiae and magnificent life of the natural world." School Library Journal, Starred
"Sidman and Prange go beyond accuracy and clarity; with a humor born of skillful observation and light and color worthy of the Impressionists, they capture the essence of this environment in all its fascinating particularity." Horn Book —
From the Author
"I've always loved water. As a kid, I frequently got into trouble for coming home with muddy sneakers, the result of straying too close to the nearby swamp (it wasn't called a wetland then, just a swamp). Summers were spent near lakes or ponds, swimming or canoeing. Later, when I had my own children, we'd often visit ponds to fish or swim. I began to wonder what else (beyond fish, frogs, and ducks) lived in the water. What were those tiny insects that swam around? What happened to them when a pond dried up or froze over? As I learned more about water insects, their names enchanted me: backswimmer, water strider, water boatman. I imagined them as creatures in a drama, each with their own part to play. SONG OF THE WATER BOATMAN is a compromise between my wish to give each pond creature an imaginative voice (the poems), and my fascination with their real-life behavior (the nonfiction notes)."
About the Author
Joyce Sidman has written many other award-winning books. Find out more at joycesidman.com. Beckie Prange lives in Ely, Minnesota. Her first book received a Caldecott Honor. beckieprange.com
