Overview

This lyrically written and gorgeously illustrated ode to ponds is crafted in a uniquely American poetic form called American cinquain. In this glorious celebration of nature, three girls walk an old trail in search of a hidden pond, marveling at treasures they discover along the way-darting dragonflies, croaking bullfrogs, fluttering sycamore leaves, and more. Written in a unique poetic form called American cinquain, the story seamlessly weaves together an invitation to readers to immerse themselves in nature, while also bringing attention to this endangered ecosystem. The info-packed pages at the end of the book include an overview of the pond ecosystem and the current threat to it, as well as an exploration of the cinquain form.

Full Product Details

9781546008668

Table of Contents

Reviews

""A story in verse about three friends visiting a pond. Each page has a cinquain that beautifully describes the narrative action. With gorgeous figurative language and perfectly chosen vocabulary, the story weaves around the ecosystem of the pond, highlighting all the plants and animals there. ­Glowing artwork matches and amplifies the ideas of the text with its natural palette of mixed media, giving readers even more to contemplate as they page through. An excellent mentor text for writing poetry, this is equally suited for a science unit on habitats or ponds. The conciseness of the verse makes it easily ­accessible to young readers while providing an amazing lesson of word choice to older ones. This is a truly lovely book is to be savored repeatedly, and is a must for any picture book collection.""--School Library Journal, starred review

Author Information

Paul Paolilli and Dan Brewer are an uncle-nephew writing team who have collaborated on numerous creative projects over the years with a focus on vibrant, accessible poetry for young readers. Their first picture book, Silver Seeds, received the International Reading Association's award for Best Children's Book by first-time authors. A love of poetry began early for the authors with a long-standing family tradition of creating rhyming poems to celebrate special occasions. Both have dabbled in other creative pursuits, including music, drawing, painting, and woodworking. For more than twenty years they have worked together on such diverse projects as writing a movie script, short stories, and a novel, yet poetry and poetic language remains their passion. They live in sunny Southern California. Dao Linh is an illustrator and animator based in Brno, Czech Republic. Originally from Vietnam, her childhood was filled with tropical plants and colorful bugs, and nature and wildlife remain her greatest inspiration. After moving to Europe, Dao attended art school with a specialization in illustration. Nowadays, she spends most of her time working with watercolors and talking to her computer. When not drawing, Dao loves to travel, enjoying a cup of tea at random times in random places.

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