Over and Under the Pond

by Kate Messner, Christopher Silas Neal (Illustrator)

Overview

A secret underwater world brought to life: This gorgeous companion to the acclaimed Over and Under the Snow and Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt is an excellent addition to any emerging reader's collection.
 

In Over and Under the Pond, readers will discover the plants and animals that make up the rich, interconnected ecosystem of a mountain pond. Over the pond, the water is a mirror, reflecting the sky. But under the water is a hidden world of creatures—minnows darting, beavers diving, and tadpoles growing.
 
These secrets and many others are waiting to be discovered over and under the pond in this sweet children’s book from Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal, the latest in their beloved series that offers kids a peek into hidden ecosystems.

ENTERTAINING AND EDUCATIONAL: Stunning illustrations paired with an easy-to-follow storyline make this a great read for any early elementary school student, while a glossary of animals that live in, near, and around the mountain pond enriches the reading experience.
 
INSPIRES A LOVE A NATURE: Offering a look inside a beautiful underwater ecosystem, this gorgeously illustrated book encourages children to explore the world around them and appreciate the natural wonders they discover.
 
A FIVE-STAR FAVORITE OF READERS & REVIEWERS: "Playful and lovely to read aloud. Even older budding naturalists will find something to enjoy here."—School Library Journal; "A contemplative journey through an ecosystem."—USA Today
 

Perfect for:

• A great read-aloud book for home or school
• Parents looking for enchanting bedtime reads or nature books for kids
• Fans of books like A Different Pond, An Egg Is Quiet, Because of an Acorn, and Over and Under the Rainforest and others in the Over and Under series
• Any kid who loves picture books about science, nature, or animals

 
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452150871
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	03/07/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Christopher Silas Neal is an award-winning illustrator. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times and shows his art at various galleries nationwide. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn and teaches at Pratt Institute.

Kate Messner is the award-winning author of more than a dozen other books for young readers, including Over and Under the Snow, Up in the Garden and Down in the DirtOver and Under the Snow, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, and How to Read a Story. When she's not writing, she loves spending time outside. Kate lives in New York with her family.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/20/2017
As day turns to night, a boy and his mother take in the sights above and below their rowboat in this contemplative follow-up to Over and Under the Snow and Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt. Messner’s elegant narrative, written from the boy’s perspective, creates an intimate connection with the setting (“Over the pond we drift, heads tipped up to the sun. A woodpecker clings to a teetering pine, digging for ants”), and Neal’s milky mixed-media images examine the pond and its inhabitants—moose, painted turtles, ospreys, and others—from virtually every angle, soaring high above the water and down into its depths to dazzling effect. Ages 5–8. Author’s agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Conveys the sights and sounds and motions of a peaceful day spent enjoying and observing nature.”-The Horn Book Magazine

Time Magazine Best Books of the Year

Read On Wisconsin! State Reading List 2018-2019

"A contemplative journey through an ecosystem."—USA Today

«“A magical artistic and informational world that readers will delight in visiting again and again.”-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Dazzling.”-Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Playful and lovely to read aloud… even older budding naturalists will find something to enjoy here.”-School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2017
K-Gr 4—Messner and Neal have followed up on their proven formula (Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt; Over and Under the Snow), this time focusing on the ecosystem of an Adirondack pond at twilight. While a woman and boy in a canoe are seen at various points admiring the pond, the wildlife and plants are the real characters of this story, beautifully illustrated in mixed media. Neal captures minute details that will have readers easily recognizing specific species. With descriptive verbs and the use of onomatopoeia, Messner's prose is both playful and lovely to read aloud, and the slow close of the day and early night depicted make this an ideal bedtime book. An author's note, an "About the Animals" section, and a list of further reading bump up the age of potential readers, as even older budding naturalists will find something to enjoy here. VERDICT Librarians can confidently purchase this title for elementary schoolers.—Courtney Lewis, St. Catherine's School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal

★ 2017-03-06
The author-illustrator team that brought readers into the garden and under the snow (Over and under the Snow, 2011, etc.) now takes them on a breathtaking journey beneath the calm waters of a pond.Though the surface of the water seems calm, it is teeming with life, as a small black boy and his mother discover during an afternoon row. This book is another artistic triumph for Messner and Neal, whose perfect marriage of prose and pictures creates a lush, watery world filled with color and brimming with activity. Each double-page spread, done in a soothing palette of greens and blues, reveals the pond to be a vibrant and rich habitat where fish, amphibians, animals, and birds lay eggs, build nests, store food, and otherwise engage in the cycle of life. Each illustration focuses on a creature that lives either above or below the pond's surface, and the child protagonist's sense of wonder is mirrored by the author's evocative prose. The events of the book occur within the space of one day, and as afternoon fades into evening, the yellows of the flowers and pink of the sky give way to night-blue in an arresting symphony of color. Well-researched backmatter provides inquisitive readers with additional information about the creatures they see. A magical artistic and informational world that readers will delight in visiting again and again. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews