Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems
Illustrated by Beckie Prange. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005. ISBN: 9780618135479. Ages 4-10.
*Caldecott Honor Award
Water nymph, you have
climbed from the shallows
to don your dragon colors.
Perched on a reed stem
all night, shedding skin,
you dry your wings
in moonlight . . .
Though seemingly quiet, ponds are teeming with life and full of surprises. From spring’s first thaw to autumn’s chill, their denizens—from peepers to painted turtles, duckweed to diving beetles—lead secret and fascinating lives. A unique blend of science, poetry, and hand-colored woodcuts, this Caldecott Honor winning book invites us into the beauty and mystery of this watery world.
Caldecott Honor Award
Lee Bennet Hopkins Poetry Award
“Poems burst with sweet, joyful noise. [An] elegant, inspired volume, which teachers will use across the curriculum.”
*Booklist (starred review)
“Readers will come away feeling as if they, too, have been pond dwellers for a season.”
*Kirkus (starred review)
“With its unique combination of fact and fancy, this book is bound to delight pint-sized scientists and environmentalists—and language lovers, too.”
*Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
“Rewarding and handsomely designed.”
New York Times