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Welcome to the Pond
From the Series Nature's Neighborhoods: All About Ecosystems
Which underwater resident is enjoying the shade beneath a water lily as it hunts newly hatched tadpoles? What tiny water insect is about to become a frog's lunch? Which creature with a spiral-shaped shell is munching on pond weeds deep below the water's surface? And who is about to lay her eggs in the tangled reeds at the edge of the pond? Readers will discover how living things depend on each other and their environment for survival. Packed with facts, core-curriculum information, and fantastic photographs that support the text, each book takes readers on a mini safari through a habitat. Like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle, readers will discover connections and interactions between the plants, animals, and other living things that make each natural neighborhood their home.
| Interest Level | Grade 3 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 2 |
| Category | Beginning Readers, Nonfiction |
| Subject | Social Studies |
| Copyright | 2016 |
| Imprint | Ruby Tuesday Books |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 32 |
| Publication Date | 2015-12-15 |
| BISACS | JNF051100 |
|---|---|
| Dewey | 577 |
| Dimensions | 10 x 8 |
| Lexile | 580 |
| Guided Reading Level | M |
| ATOS Reading Level | 4.2 |
| ATOS Interest Level | LG |
| Accelerated Reader® Points | 0.5 |
Reviews
Jean Little Library Blog Review of Welcome to the Pond
Of course, now that my school system no longer does the big annual biomes project, all the awesome biomes books are published. Sigh.
This title is part of a new series from Bearport, “Nature’s Neighborhoods: All About Ecosystems.” It begins with a quick introduction to the idea of a habitat and ecosystem. Pond plants, animals like muskrats and ducks, and insect life are all covered. The book also includes microscopic life, the life cycles of various pond dwellers, and concludes with the babies mentioned previously grown and ready to start a new cycle.
Each page includes numerous tidbits of information, captions, highlighted vocabulary, and lots of cool photographs. Back matter includes a sample food web, picture glossary, brief index, two titles about frogs and dragonflies, and a link to an online resource through the publisher.
Verdict: Even if you have a lot of biomes books (I do) this is a great introduction for younger children or struggling readers. It’s a handy overview of the various creatures and life cycles of a pond and will get readers started either on a research project or just interested in the world around them. Recommended.
SLJ Review - Nature's Neighborhoods
These thoughtful overviews provide selected examples of the roles of plants and animals within an ecosystem. Basic facts about the habitat are followed by simple profiles of the creatures that live there. Each spread ends with a boxed question that is answered with the subsequent page turn, which neatly supports the theme of connections within a habitat. A spread on rock-clinging seaweed, for example, leads into one on animals that also stick to rocks, followed by a transition to barnacle eating processes. Continuity is further reinforced by introducing an animal, then returning to it later. In Pond, for example, dragonfly eggs are laid, nymphs appear seven pages later, and they emerge as dragonflies toward the end. Visual support comes from a mixture of full-page photos and smaller insets, many of which include helpful labels. Each title ends with a useful food web diagram. VERDICT Excellent introductions to how ecosystems function.
