A great book about a boy and how he envisions he little oasis he calls the pond and does it all through the seasons. ( )

When Matt finds a tiny stream bubbling up out of the ground in the old dirt pit near his home, he has an idea: why not clean up the area, and turn it into a pond? Enlisting his sister Katie and best friend Pablo's help, that's just what he does, and the three children end up enjoying the beauty of their creations throughout the four seasons. The local animals also enjoy the new pond...

Apparently based upon an incident from author/artist Jim LaMarche's childhood, Pond is a lovely picture-book exploration of the beauty of the natural world, and the importance of being responsible stewards of that world. Like The Raft, another of LaMarche's picture-book creations that I have read and enjoyed, the story here emphasizes the importance of outdoor play for young people, and features absolutely gorgeous illustrations. It also imparts an important lesson about the power children have to positively impact the world around them. Recommended to all young nature lovers, to anyone who enjoys beautiful picture-book art, and to LaMarche fans. ( )

kids clean out an area, and an old pond is reborn. wildlife return; kids play ( )

Matt is out on a hike one day and sees a trickle of water he sees a dirt pile that is filled with junk and realizes this used to be a pond. He rushes home and enlists the help of his 2 good friends and his family. The spend a lot of time cleaning up the environment and getting the pond restored to its past beauty. The book goes through all the seasons and you get to see how the wildlife even comes to appreciate the hard work that the friends put in.

Age 5-8
Source Pierce County Library Orting ( )