Looking Closely around the Pond

by Frank Serafini

Look closely. Look very closely. Is it ? a leaf? A net? Just turn the page and, lo and behold, it's a dragonfly's wing. Children will learn about dragonflies and many other creatures in this interactive book that encourages imagination and instills a respect for the natural environment.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Science, Nature, Childrens, Animals

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Dr. Frank Serafini is an author, illustrator, photographer, educator, musician, and a Professor of Literacy Education and Children’s Literature at Arizona State University.
Frank has published seven books with Heinemann, including: The Reading Workshop, Reading Aloud and Beyond, Lessons in Comprehension, and Around the Reading Workshop in 180 Days and Classroom Reading Assessments which will be available in 2010. In addition, Frank has published Reading the Visual (2014) and Beyond the Visual (2022) with Teachers College Press.
In 2008, Frank began writing and illustrating a series of non-fiction picturebooks focusing on nature with Kids Can Press. The Looking Closely series contains books about the desert, garden, pond, rainforest, shore and forest. In 2009, Looking Closely Along the Shore won an International Reading Association’s Teachers’ Choice Award, and Honorable Mention from the Society of School Librarians International.
A true “Renaissance Man,” Frank loves to travel, sing, play guitar, cook, draw, read, visit art galleries, and watch movies. His workshops are packed with important information and practical ideas, all delivered with a great sense of humor.

Reviews

[Catherine]

The book tells you about what you might find by a pond. I liked how he wrote facts about animals and plants around the pond with out incorporating another story. He stayed to the facts he could prove.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book! I think this is a great informational text to include in your classroom library for younger readers. I really like that it encouraged inquiry on each new page (it would show only a small portion of the picture that would be on the next page, and had questions for the readers to try to get them to figure out what they were looking at before turning the page).

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As another installment in his Looking Closely series, Serafini takes readers on a nature walk around what can be assumed as Lefferts Pond to discover animals, insects and plants including a box turtle, algae, and a dragonfly. The book oscillates between question and answer pages, where Serafini inherently creates a guessing game out of the text. He first asks readers to “look very closely” at close-ups of parts of an animal or plant found in the pond. He then offers rhyming suggestions of what the portion could be. For a mallard duck’s feathers, Serafini asks, “What do you see? Swirls of paint? A snow day? What could it be?”

The pages following the close-up reveal the complete photograph of the animal or plant and answer the previously posed question. This two-page spread also includes two brief paragraphs, which describe physical features, eating habits or even survival tactics of the animal/plant/insect. Serafini uses simple language with minimal scientific jargon to highlight more interesting facts of each subject without overloading the reader with random information.

The full-color, large photographs are attractive and help pull the reader in. But some photographs, like that of the tadpole, are blurry and do not offer textual support. Some of the close-ups are obscure, which may disengage readers from playing along with the guessing game.

The format of the book is most attractive to younger readers, grades K-3. But Serafini’s choice of some pond inhabitants like the shubunkin (an Asian goldfish) and even the tiger salamander, when combined with metaphoric language like "river of ink" on the “what could it be” pages, is likely to confuse and/or disengage readers.

Recommended as an additional purchase.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is such a great combination of fun and education. As the description indicates, we are given a small, up-close version of a photograph and asked to look closely and guess what it is in regards to items around a pond. The next page gives us the answer with facts about the plant, animal, or reptile and a beautiful full photograph.

We learn about water lilies, mallard ducks, and tadpoles all in a simple, easy-to-understand format. Your kids will have fun trying to guess what they're looking at and they'll learn something at the same time. Great for working on problem solving skills or as a companion to a unit on any of the animals and plants featured.
A whole lot of fun and education in one little book. The photographs are nicely done and the facts short and sweet.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series that invites children to explore the designs of the world around them. I and my two and a half year old love the word "shubunkin," the calico (tri-colored) goldfish. At first glance she knew the duck when she saw the small circle clue. I don't know if it's her affinity for swimming or something else, but she prefers the pond book over the garden book. Perhaps as we move into the growing season, the garden book will appeal more to her.

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting kids to look, to really observe without judgment, is huge. This series helps by taking away the context. There's a lot of information inside, too, but it never feels overwhelming. These are some beautiful photos. Also a natural model for children's work. A must-have for all K-5 collections.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super-sharp, gorgeously colored photos encourage little kids to examine the details in the world around them.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent photos and guess what this is concept w/background info

[Christine Turner]

Summary
Look closely. Look very closely. Is it ... a leaf? A net? Just turn the page and, lo and behold, it's a dragonfly's wing. Children will learn about dragonflies and many other creatures in this interactive book that encourages imagination and instills a respect for the natural environment.