What Goes on inside a Beaver Pond? Format: Hardback

Nautilus Book Awards, Silver Winner
National Outdoor Book Award Winner
John Burroughs Association Riverby Award Winner

Dive into the fascinating world of beavers—the swimmers, builders, and engineers of the animal kingdom!

​What Goes on inside a Beaver Pond? takes kids ages 8 to 10 on a journey through a year in the life of a young beaver (called a "kit"). This is an exciting year as the young beaver leaves her family lodge and moves throughout the Yokun Brook waterways, seeking a new home for herself. Throughout the seasons, vibrant illustrations and descriptions reveal the hidden inner-workings of a beaver lodge, how beavers fell trees with their teeth and create a wetland habitat, how they collect food and ward off predators, and what daily life is like within a beaver colony. Educational side panels enhance the story with details about beaver behavior and anatomy, as well as information about what other animal inhabitants of the pond are up to throughout the year. Author Becky Cushing Gop is an environmental educator and director of Mass Audubon’s Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary where the story takes place. Nature illustrator Carrie Shryock’s lively and charming graphics bring the young beaver’s story to life for nature-curious kids.

Becky Cushing Gop is an award-winning environmental educator and director of Mass Audubon West, encompassing 18 wildlife sanctuaries, conservation partnerships, and widespread community and school programming. She is based at the 1,400-acre Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, home to a healthy population of Castor canadensis—aka, the North American beaver. In addition to her work at Mass Audubon, she shares nature and mindfulness practices through presentations and workshops for conservation professionals, educators, and the general public throughout the Northeast. She lives with her family in western Massachusetts.