Turtle Splash!: Countdown at the Pond - Hardcover

Falwell, Cathryn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060294620 ISBN 13: 9780060294625

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2001

Synopsis

One by one, ten turtles splash into the pond. A counting book and fun exploration of animals at the pond, perfect for preschoolers.

It's a peaceful day at the pond as ten timid turtles bask in the sun. But wait! A bullfrog leaps, a rabbit rustles, deer appear, a chickadee chirps, and the turtles dive one by one into the water. Splash!

For storytime at home or in the classroom, use Turtle Splash! to gently reinforce early counting lessons, as well as information about the animals that visit a pond.

But most of all: turtles!

About this title

About the Author

Cathryn Falwell grows vegetables and mystery vines in her garden next to Frog Song Pond in Maine. The pond and its creatures have been featured in the books Turtle Splash! and Scoot!, also published by Greenwillow Books.

From the Back Cover

It's a peaceful day at
the pond as ten timid
turtles bask in the sun.
But wait!
A bullfrog leaps, a
rabbit rustles, deer
appear, a chickadee
chirps, and
ten
nine
eight
seven
six
five
four
three
two
one
by one
the turtles dive
into the water.
Splash!

Reviews

reS-Gr 1-"Ten/timid turtles,/lounging/in a line./Startled by/a bullfrog-/Then there/are nine." This lovely countdown features Eastern Painted Turtles and various insects, birds, and mammals sharing a pond habitat. As each new creature appears on the scene, one more turtle jumps off the log and into the water. Eventually, the blue sky of day gives way to rose and purple shades and all 10 tired turtles are underwater to "settle for the night." The familiar counting scheme plays out in beautifully constructed collage scenes. Many of the animals are quite realistic; some are less detailed. Birch bark and leaf prints add realism to the lush growth surrounding the melded blues and greens of the water. A white panel on either side of the double-page view contains a large blue numeral, the verse, and trailing bits of picture to soften the contrast. The pleasing glimpses of the shy turtles and their neighbors end with a satisfying recapping of the count in a night view lit with fireflies. Three final pages augment the pond visit with information on the behavior of each animal and brief instructions for making leaf prints. This is pleasing fare for reading aloud at bedtime, or anytime, and offers an inviting early nature lesson.

Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Falwell's (Where's Nicky?) combination of counting book and nature tale, in an idyllic pond setting, begins with "Ten timid turtles, lounging in a line." These attractive Eastern Painted Turtles (identified at story's end), with sweetly placid eyes, intricate stripes and loops of yellow and orange on their shells and bodies, appear on every spread but decrease in number with each turn of the page. Various creatures send them scuttling for cover off their log, one by one, and into the variegated blueness of the pond. First, a plump emerald bullfrog in flight reduces the group to nine; several pages later, the fluttering presence of a burnished brown butterfly knocks the number down to three. Into each spread, Falwell tucks a clue as to the next offender: in one, it's a fawn's spotted back, in another the feather of a chickadee floats on the pond's surface. After all 10 turtles make their exits, they reconvene on the pond floor to "settle for the night." Working in collages of papers, birch bark and leaf prints, Falwell makes every aqua-hued spread come alive with texture, both visually and ecologically. The final spreads provide succinct profiles of the pond inhabitants that appear in the story and explain how to make the same leaf prints that Falwell uses so effectively. This lush volume is sure to make a splash. Ages 3-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3-5. The author/illustrator of titles such as Feast for 10 (1993) and Christmas for 10 (1998) offers another counting exercise, set this time in a late-afternoon forest pond. Ten turtles lounge on a log. Each time a woodland creature disturbs the bunch, one turtle plunges into the lake, creating a countdown that ends at sunset with the final turtle joining his friends for sleep at the lake's bottom. The rhyming, alliterative text is energized with a rolling rhythm, suspense, and vivid, descriptive words that will encourage preschoolers to count gleefully alone, while the lovely cut-paper collages will keep young ones focused on the pages. Evocative woodland scenes spring to life with well-defined animals that are described in a final appended section. A beautiful, atmospheric counting book, this will have particular appeal with children who know the woods firsthand. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060294620
• ISBN 13: 9780060294625
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Falwell Cathryn
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32