In the Small, Small Pond - By Denise Fleming

In the Small, Small Pond, written and illustrated by Denise Fleming (Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks (April 3, 2007), is a very visual story of the life in a pond. It is geared toward young children, ages 2-6, with a readability lexile ages 4-8. It is a concept book teaching children about life in a pond. I think that children would enjoy this story.

The story is simple, but the pictures are wonderful. They are vivid and really tell a story. The pages are full of the different kinds of life in the pond. There is a page of tadpoles with a frog, so the children will associate the tadpoles with the frog. There are geese and baby geese, dragonflies, turtles, herons, minnows, raccoons, muskrats, and more. The different animals do their thing and interact with the pond. At the end of the book, a "chill breeze, winter freeze" comes and it is quiet at the pond.

I think that this is a great picture book to show children. It tells a simple story of life in a small pond. There is a lot of life though! The children can connect what they see when they are out in nature. The frog is on every page and guides them through his word. The author is also showing the season change. This could spark a good conversation about season change and the effect that it has on animals.

Mini-lesson:
A mini-lesson that follows this book could be on what the animals do when winter comes and animal migration. The children, individually or in groups, could pick an animal they see in Minnesota that they are curious about. Many children in Minnesota wonder what animals do when it is winter. They could do some research, draw pictures, and possibly share their findings with the class.