On Duck Pond

by Jane Yolen, Bob Marstall (Illustrator)

Overview

From award-winning and NY Times bestselling children's author of more than 350 books, Jane Yolen, and award-winning illustrator, Bob Marstall, On Duck Pond is the first sequel to the acclaimed On Bird Hill, which launched the children's picture book series written for the esteemed Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the world authority on birds.

In On Bird Hill, Yolen and Marstall took readers on a surreal journey with a boy and his dog, as they stopped, looked, and noticed things along their path—ultimately discovering the miracle of the birth of a baby bird. On Duck Pond continues the journey of the boy and dog story, this time in a new place—a serene pond, filled with birds, frogs, turtles and other creatures going about their quiet business. Their intrusion stirs the pond into a cacophony of activity, reaching climactic chaos, before slowly settling back to it's quiet equilibrium.

This beautiful and enchanting sequel is sure to delight On Bird Hill fans and millions of readers and fans of Jane's popular classics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781943645220
Publisher:	Cornell Lab Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/11/2017
Series:	On Bird Hill and Beyond Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Jane Yolen has authored more than 350 books including the Caldecott-winning Owl Moon, loved by children and bird watchers of all ages, You Nest Here With Me which is a popular new favorite, and the New York Times bestselling series How Do Dinosaurs. Jane Yolen's books have been translated into over 20 languages and are popular around the world. Her husband David Stemple was both a well known bird recordist and a professor of computer science and he taught the entire family how to identify birds. Many of Ms. Yolen's books are about wildlife subjects, especially the winged kind. Jane lives in Easthampton, MA.

Bob Marstall is the illustrator of nine nonfiction children’s books, including The Lady and the Spider, which sold over a quarter-of-a-million copies and was a Reading Rainbow selection. Bob has also been honored with an ALA Notable; an IRA Teachers’ Choice; a Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children; and three John Burroughs selections. In addition, two of Bob’s books are included in the New York Times Parent’s Guide’s “1001 Best Books of the Twentieth Century.” Bob lives in Easthampton, MA.

Editorial Reviews

02/27/2017
The team behind On Bird Hill returns with an intimate reflection on a small Massachusetts pond, where a placid scene can change at a moment’s notice. While On Bird Hill had a certain dreamlike quality, particularly in Marstall’s slightly surreal artwork, this story feels grounded in careful, quiet observation. Yolen writes in first-person rhymes (the narrator is eventually revealed to be a boy walking his dog), bearing contemplative witness to the disruptions caused by a “quack of ducks” that descends on the pond: “A frog leaped off his lily pad./ Quite surprised and very mad./ A heron flew back to her nest./ Tadpole hid—which they do best.” A sunlit glow seems to infuse Marstall’s landscapes, and he’s carefully attentive to the physical details of the birds, frogs, and other creatures the boy notices. Informative endnotes invite readers to locate eight animals hidden in the preceding pages, offer additional information about a host of birds and other creatures, and encourage children to learn more about ponds and birds. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator’s agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Like its predecessor, On Bird Hill, this book is a jewel of a small moment. On Duck Pond is what you take off the shelf when you want to show people of any age how to write a narrative...Captivating.

http://ncteacherstuff.blogspot.com/search?q=on+duck+pond - Jeff Barger

Yolen, who’s been called the Hans Christian Andersen of today, is a multi-award-winning poet and author (Caldecott Medal for “Owl Moon,” 1988)...Breathtaking...A fine way to nudge young children toward their own nature treks.

http://www.myajc.com/entertainment/books--literature/splash-into-summer-reading/GMeyTJUiic6Xonsn84e96J/ - Julie Bookman

“A beautiful picture book…unexpectedly moving...both the words and the illustrations are well crafted, but together they become something more: a beautiful picture book that is unexpectedly moving.

From the Publisher

“…lyrical language and awesome art...What I like love about this book: aside from the lyrical language and awesome art? I like the back matter: notes about ducks and birds and exploring ponds.

https://archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com/2017/04/on-duck-pond.html - Sue Heavenrich

“…lovely, quiet book…”
“Like its predecessor, it is a lovely, quiet book about the beauty and drama found in nature.

http://canyoureadmeastory.blogspot.com/2017/04/lovely-book-captures-small-drama-on.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_me - Elizabeth Voss

“A beautiful book that is reminiscent of the classics. Kids will read this book and be reminded of the beauty of nature—it’s sights and sounds...Multi-faceted and beautifully done...a really beautiful, lyrical feel.

http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=13186 - Ricki

A follow-up to Yolen and Marstall’s On Bird Hill (2016) takes readers around a placid New England pond at dawn with a boy and his dog. Hills surround the pond; kids see a red-winged blackbird, a frog, and a heron. Suddenly the stillness is shattered—it’s an invasion by a group of quacking ducks! Marstall’s spreads show pond inhabitants fleeing and hiding—turtle, trout, frog, and tadpoles all disappear. As the water ripples, viewers can observe the mixed flock that includes a mallard pair, two wood ducks, a hooded merganser, and wigeons (help is on the last pages). But the ducks move on, calm returns. Alert viewers can spot turtles returning and other animals: a raccoon, a rabbit, deer, and a red squirrel. The tall, long-legged Great Egret and the Great Blue Heron have come back as well. As the boy heads home, he senses a bond with the scattered creatures of the pond. Yolen’s rhyming couplets accompany each of Marstall’s spreads showing pale water and soft spring-green hills, lily pads, reeds, and grasses. Final pages encourage young readers to visit a nearby pond (the book would make a fine introduction), trying Cornell Lab’s bird identification app, or visiting their website, AllAboutBirds.org, for more bird lore. Young writers will appreciate Yolen’s note explaining other names for a group of ducks: paddling, bunch, brace, gang, or team—“quack” is her own invention. Kids are also challenged to see how many other animals they can find in the story. There is special data on the Red-eared Slider turtle, an invasive species. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft; Ages 3 to 7.

Children's Literature - Barbara L. Talcroft

05/01/2017
K-Gr 2—This sequel to On Bird Hill celebrates the wildlife of a New England pond. When a rowdy raft of ducks drop in, creatures from turtles to heron to tadpoles rouse from drowsy bliss. The disrupters' equally sudden departure brings the gradual return of deer, a raccoon, and a redwing blackbird as well as the reemergence of the water denizens. Colorful spreads accommodate Yolen's rhymes: "A frog leaped off his lily pad, quite surprised and very mad." Marstall's realistic paintings embrace nature's greens, blues, browns, and yellows. The book concludes with notes on pond habitats, a description of the Cornell Lab's work with birds, and a picture dictionary of pond-loving birds and ducks. VERDICT Use this breezy visit to a pond for Earth Day celebrations or as a literary field trip on a rainy day. A solid introduction to nature, best shared one-on-one.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

School Library Journal

2017-02-20
The splash and chatter of a raft of ducks temporarily disrupts the peace of a wildlife-filled pond.Smoothly crafted couplets and the occasional triplet describe a moment in the natural world when a "quack of ducks" descends on a pond. The unnamed narrator, who is walking with a leashed dog, is depicted as an adult with light-brown skin. She describes the sights and sounds of mallards landing, the other animals scattering, and the water rippling. "Every part of me was changed, / I looked like I'd been re-arranged." Just as quickly the ducks move on, and peace returns. A prolific and skillful writer, Yolen chooses her words carefully and interestingly, putting them together in ways that read aloud gracefully. This companion volume to On Bird Hill (2016) again speaks to the joy of paying attention to one's surroundings. The text describes some of the pond's inhabitants: trout, turtles, tadpoles, a bullfrog, and a blue heron. The illustrations show many more. Fourteen are identified in a key in the backmatter, and there are a few fast facts. Young readers and listeners will be encouraged to discover them in their habitat on these pages. Marstall's delicately colored paintings are less whimsical and more realistic than in the previous book. They show the pond from many angles, including close-up images of lily pads and broad vistas. Another fine entry for a "sense of wonder" collection. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews