The Secret Pool (Tilbury House Nature Book) - Hardcover

Ridley, Kimberly

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0884483398 ISBN 13: 9780884483397

Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers, 2013

Synopsis

• John Burroughs Association Riverby Award
• Lupine Award
• Skipping Stones Honor Award

You might walk right by a vernal pool and not notice it.

Often mistaken for mere puddles in the woods, vernal pools are the source of life for many interesting creatures. If you look carefully, you can find them and be amazed! These secret pools form every year when low places on the forest floor fill up with rain and melted snow. They soon become home to hatching wood frogs, spotted salamanders, and fairy shrimp. Even in late summer and fall, when many vernal pools have shrunk to mud holes, creatures such as turtles and snakes rely on them for shelter and food. The Secret Pool introduces young readers to the wonders right underfoot as the voice of a vernal pool shares its secrets through the seasons, and sidebars provide fun facts on its inhabitants and the crucial role these small, often overlooked wetlands play in maintaining a healthy environment.

Color Throughout

About this title

About the Authors

Science writer Kimberly Ridley is an award-winning author of nonfiction books for children. Her joy is sharing her love of nature and writing with children through her books and school visits. Kimberly’s picture books, The Secret Pool (Kirkus starred review) and The Secret Bay, have received honors including Riverby Awards from the John Burroughs Association for “outstanding natural history books for young people.” Her newest book is THe Secret Stream A former magazine editor, Kimberly has written for publications including The Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, and Downeast Magazine. She holds an MS in Science Journalism.

Rebekah Raye is an artist beloved for her bird and animal paintings and sculpture, derived from her affinity with the natural world around her studio in East Blue Hill, Maine. In Rebekah’s words, “My early interest in animals of all kinds continues to be the focus of my painting and sculpture. Our pet chickens, geese, and cats―as well as the wild fox, bobcat, crows, and deer―are my inspiration. The more I learn about the animals I paint, the more I understand how we are all related.” Rebekah’s award-winning children’s books include The Very Best Bed, Bear-ly There, The Secret Pool, and Swimming Home, all published by Tilbury House.

From the Inside Flap

You might walk right by a vernal pool and not notice it. Often mistaken for mere puddles in the woods, vernal pools are the source of life for many interesting creatures. If you look carefully, you can find themand be amazed! These secret pools form every year when low places on the forest floor fill up with rain and melted snow

Reviews

Gr 3-4-The secret pool is a vernal pond, also known as an ephemeral pool, for its temporary existence as a small, forest wetland habitat. This pond is personified and describes the myriad life it supports in first-person, vibrant, rhyming verse. The verse is amplified by narrative text detailing the lives and life cycles supported by this small woodland pond. The exuberant, earthy illustrations seem to spill off the page as they portray a habitat brimming with life in every season. They compel readers to stop, look, and then perhaps count the wood frogs or fairy shrimp (both indicator species of these ponds) or wonder at the reflection of such predators as an upside-down owl. Even the two-page glossary is illustrated with a winter forestscape. Unique and original, this informative book will captivate and inform readers and browsers alike.-Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Fairfax County Public Library, VAα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0884483398
• ISBN 13: 9780884483397
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Raye Rebekah
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32