Nonfiction Monday: Welcome to the Pond by Ruth Owen

Of course, now that my school system no longer does the big annual biomes project, all the awesome biomes books are published. Sigh.

This title is part of a new series from Bearport, "Nature's Neighborhoods: All About Ecosystems." It begins with a quick introduction to the idea of a habitat and ecosystem. Pond plants, animals like muskrats and ducks, and insect life are all covered. The book also includes microscopic life, the life cycles of various pond dwellers, and concludes with the babies mentioned previously grown and ready to start a new cycle.

Each page includes numerous tidbits of information, captions, highlighted vocabulary, and lots of cool photographs. Back matter includes a sample food web, picture glossary, brief index, two titles about frogs and dragonflies, and a link to an online resource through the publisher.

Verdict: Even if you have a lot of biomes books (I do) this is a great introduction for younger children or struggling readers. It's a handy overview of the various creatures and life cycles of a pond and will get readers started either on a research project or just interested in the world around them. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781910549667; Published 2016 by Bearport; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library