Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman

Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems Reviews

• 
  Mir

  Illustrations: very nice, can see why this got a Caldecott. Even make gross bugs look pretty, while being accurate.
  
  Poems: snore. The little dry factual descriptions at the sides were more interesting than this feeble verse.
• 
  Cheryl

  Reread for Children's Books' Caldecott discussion. Excellent science, evocative & eloquent poetry in a diversity of formats, bright & lovely illustrations, a glossary... a perfect book. A perfect gift for a classroom teacher or homeschool family, too.
• 
  Lata

  A book of simple poems and facts about creatures that live in and around ponds in N, America. The poems have repeated words and phrases, which would probably make them fun for young children. And, the paintings that accompany each set of poems and facts are gorgeous! They look like woodcuts, with their bold lines, coloured with watercolours. Lovely!
• 
  Calista

  Here is a collection of poems about life in a pond. They are plenty informative. Have you ever heard of a Wood Duck? Me either. They almost went extinct and they are very shy. Each page or so has a poem and then a few facts about the animals being elucidated. The water bear is quite a strange micro-organism I am learning about. Duckweed is an unusual plant that floats on the water. Animals like to eat it. I thought the poetry was good and it brings focus on the small world of the pond. I loved learning about the caddis fly. It makes a shell out of anything on the bottom of the pond and it looks ready for a fashion show. I want to see one in a pond now.
  
  The artwork did a great job of bringing these tiny creatures to life.
  
  The nephew loves bugs and odd things, so he liked the animals in this. He got a little squirmy, but he seemed to like learning about these odd bugs. He liked the caddis fly too. Both kids thought the water bear was pretty gross and I agree. The niece loves fact books and she appreciated the poems in the story about this tiny habitat. She thought this was a great book of facts and she enjoyed the use of poetry to get across the personality of the bug. The nephew gave this 3 stars and the niece gave this 4 stars.
• 
  Jenna Scurto

  Song of the Water Boatman & Other Poems by Joyce Sidman is a compilation of poems focused around pond life. Majority of the poems focus on living creatures found in a pond, but the poems also cover the food chain and hibernation. The informational text and poetry is combined in a seamless and easy to understand fashion. When I picked up the book I expected to read poetry, when in reality I read poetry, while learning fascinating facts. Originally I would have advised this book for early elementary aged readers, but even my sixth graders were excited by the book’s content. The book broke preconceived notions left and right! The artwork does not look young or babyish helping to grab the attention of the upper elementary, middle school readers. The pictures are painted in an up-close fashion, which makes the reader feel like the living creature the poem is describing.
  
  The science intertwined with the poetry would make this book perfect for a poetry or a science unit; a perfect example of cross-curricular. Many students hold the preconceived notion that poetry is comprised of flowing words and deep thoughts, but this book brings to life the educational side of poetry. This text was a Caldecott Honor book and a BCCB Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Award winner.
  
• 
  Esther

  
  Song of the Water Boatmen and Other Pond Poems
  Written By Joyce Sidman
  Illustrated By: Beckie Prange
  Published By: Houghton Mifflin Company, NY, NY 2005
  Approx. Interest Level: Grade 3-5
  
  This book is a great intermingling of poetry and nonfiction prose. There are poems that go with various animals.
  These poems take advantage of the illustrations and include varied formats that take advantage of rhythm, format of the words, and tone. Most pages consist of one, non-fiction prose passage, one poem, and one illustration depicting the animal that each page explores.
  
  The vivid illustrations enhance the look and feel of each poem as it describes certain traits of each animal. The clever titles of the poems grab the attention of the reader. There are varied formats and presentations that are used ranging from haiku poems to free verse poems. Some poems and illustrations "bleed" into multiples pages, which creates a "long" feeling, such as when the author explores the depth of a pond . In addition to the varied format for illustrations, the poems are varied in length, format, and appearance to suit each setting and subject. There are also two-page illustrations that convey the setting at the beginning and end of the book. Additionally, there is a short glossary at the end of the book that defines some of the science terms included in the poetry.
  
  This book could be used to connect science and nature to language arts as well as students who enjoy nonfiction to a different genre of literature. The poems are fun and light-hearted, which allows the reader to share in the detail and description of the subject. Through these varied formats, bright pictures, and interesting facts about pond life, readers will become engrossed and enthralled with each subject included.
  
  Overall, this book is a great use of poetry and non-fiction prose with illustrations that enhance each poem. The differences in style and varied illustrations truly make this an interesting and new format for poetry and non-fiction.
  
• 
  James Govednik

  This book scores on all levels. The poems are wonderful, the illustrations are beautiful AND each poem is accompanied by informational text with facts about the featured creature. The poems manage to include some of these factual bits as well as conveying interesting images of the insect or animal. The combination of words and images takes us through the world of a pond. The serenity of the still water, the diving duck, the darting dragonfly. In "Spring Splashdown" the text leads our eyes to fall right down the page with the wood ducklings as they tumble from the nest for their first swim. The ominous, carnivorous diving beetle --"If it moves, it is mine"--stares menacingly at us and breaks out of the illustration's frame. "In the Depths of the Summer Pond" is part shape poem, with the text drifting lower and lower across the page, against the lush backdrop of the submerged commuity. Closing with the passage of the seasons and a turtle digging into the mud for the winter, the book holds an entire season of life within its covers. For ages 8-10, although selected poems would work well as a read aloud for younger ages.
• 
  L11_Ryanne Szydlik

  The first thing that caught my eye about this book was its format. Looking at the front cover and reading the title did not captivate my interest right away. I actually probably would not have picked this book if it was not for my librarian. She recommended it, so I gave it a go. Once I opened up the pages in this book I was completely involved in the poetry.
  
  The poems are written all about the topic of animals and plants that live in a pond. The language is beautiful and the illustrations are bold and inviting to look at. What caught my attention the most was the bits of factual information connected to each poem. On the page opposite the poem, the pages are laid out in a two page spread, there is one to two paragraphs about the animal/plant in the poem. I found myself reading the poem first, reading the factual info, and then rereading the poem. My goal then was to see if the author put any factual info into the poems itself.
  
  This book is very engaging and I could see a reluctant poetry reader enjoying it!
• 
  Krista the Krazy Kataloguer

  Not only are these wonderful poems, but the illustrations are beautiful! Well deserving of the Caldecott honor book award it received.
• 
  Magda

  Listen for Me (SPRING PEEPERS)
  
  Listen for me on a spring night,
  on a wet night,
  on a rainy night.
  Listen for me on a still night,
  for in the night, I sing.
  
  That is when my heart thaws,
  my skin thaws,
  my hunger thaws.
  That is when the world thaws,
  and the air begins to ring.
  
  I creep up from the cold pond,
  the ice pond,
  the winter pond.
  I creep up from the chill pond,
  to breathe the warming air.
  
  I cling to the green reeds,
  the damp reeds,
  the muddy reeds.
  I cling to the slim reeds;
  my brothers are everywhere.
  
  My throat swells with spring love,
  with rain love,
  with water love.
  My throat swells with peeper love;
  my song is high and sweet.
  
  Listen for me on a spring night,
  on a wet night,
  on a rainy night.
  Listen for me tonight, tonight,
  and I'll sing you to sleep.
• 
  Janet

  It is rare to see a "total package" book! Science info, literature in the form of poetry and beautiful woodcuts are beautifully showcased in this title. While Sidman the author is obviously the beginning of this book, the woodcuts and graphic layout are just as important to the overall presentation. Houghton Mifflin is to be praised for the work of true art that their editors have produced in this title.
  
  Some of the science facts I learned were wood duck babies jump from h nests built high in trees into the water to follow their mother, it is only the male spring peeper that we hear, 5,000 is the number of species of dragonflies and that dragonflies begin their life living for various lengths of time underwater.
  
  I especially liked the poem ""In the Depths of the Summer Pond" about the food chain in the pond which ended with the heron.
• 
  Melissa Stewart

  I just love this book. The combination of poems and informative sidebars is terrific, and the art is wonderful. It never leaves my "favorites" bookshelf.
• 
  Ms. B

  Poetry about seasons
  And life cycles,
  At a pond,
  With animals and plants.
  
  And for those,
  With a thirst for more,
  A paragraph of facts,
  Found nearby,
  On the opposite page.
• 
  SamZ

  2006 Caldecott Honor - Favorite Illustration: The dragonfly page.
  This is a lovely collection of poetry that focuses on some of the species one would find in a pond. I really enjoyed that there were different styles of poetry throughout the book as well as the additional information on each page that told you a bit more about the species being highlighted. The illustrations softly flowed with the poetry and prose on each page, and made me interested in several species I would otherwise not care to learn more about (most of the bugs).
• 
  Emma VanBuskirk

  Do you enjoy reading about nature? If so, you should try reading about it in the form of poetry!
  This poetry book by, NCTE award winner, Joyce Sidman is a collection of poems about animals, insects, and plants that can be found in a pond. The poems are written in verse and use rhyme schemes and repetition. This would be a great book to introduce your students to poetry!
• 
  Susan

  This is a beautiful book - beautifully, wonderfully written, and beautifully, fantastically illustrated.
  
  The use of poetry to convey scientific ideas of events and life in the pond is brilliant. There are also short bits of prose with each poem to explain the larger concepts contained in the poetic lines.
  
  I got this book from the library, and am sad to have to return it. However, I will be buying my own copy for my library and to reread as often as I like (which I suspect will be quite often indeed).
  
  
  
  Note: I gave this book a full review because this book was published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
  
  I used to give full reviews for all of the books that I rated on GR. However, GR's new giveaway policies (
  Good Reads 2017 November Giveaways Policies Changes) have caused me to change my reviewing decisions. These new GR policies seem to harm smaller publishing efforts in favour of providing advantage to the larger companies, (
  GR Authors' Feedback) the big five publishers (
  Big Five Publishers). So, because of these new GR policies from now on I will be supporting smaller publishing efforts by only giving full reviews to books published by: publishing businesses outside the big five companies, indie publishers, and self-published authors. This book was published by one of these smaller publishing efforts so I have given it a full review.
  
• 
  Jennifer Hart

  Awards Received: The Caldecott Medal
  
  Appropriate grade level(s): First Grade to Fifth Grade
  
  Summary: Song of the Water Boatman discusses all of the diverse life in ponds and how they coincide together. The poems are about an aspect of the pond and then at the side of the poem is factual information about that aspect.
  
  My review: Song of the Water Boatman introduces students to the different aspects of ponds and how nature works as a whole. I thought it was a great idea to have interesting facts about each aspect of the pond next to its coinciding poem. The Illustrations painted a picture of pond life and made it come to life.
  
  1-2 Possible in-class uses: Song of the Water Boatman is a great book to incorporate during science lessons and when discussing how animals live in the same habitats. I also think this book is a good book to read once the weather starts to get warmer because some of the poems are about ponds in the spring.
• 
  Amanda Shreve

  Summary
  A book of poetry. Frogs, beetles, the food chain, and even a dragonfly are in the spotlight of this book. From the start of Spring until the end of Autumn the reader gains insight into the world of a pond.
  Evaluation
  I gave this book of pond poems five stars. It was fun and informational. It contained poems about all things you find in a pond, as well as different kinds of poems. It would be an enjoyable way to connect reading and science.
  Teaching Point
  I would use this book of poems to integrate literature and science. The book has sidebars that explain the animals and other pond aspects in the poems. This would be a fun and engaging way for students to learn about this content.
• 
  Hannah Elizabeth

  Summary
  The book Song of the Water Boatman is a book mixed with poems and Non-fiction information about the poem. For example, on the first page the book had a small poem about ducks. On the next page the book explained to the reader some facts about that kind of duck. The text goes on to do the same thing with different animals or insects.
  
  Opinion
  I loved the approach the author took while writing this lesson. The pictures are wonderful and the content is very rich. Though the information is a little high, I do believe that a teacher can lower it to the learning level of her students.
  
  Teaching Idea
  This book could be used grades K-5. When I read it I thought it would be great as a read aloud at the end of the day or in between classes.
  
• 
  Rachel

  This book won a 2006 Caldecott honor award. Honestly, I didn't think much of this book from the cover, but the book itself is genius. The author created these fantastic nature poems about insects, birds, amphibians and other pond creatures. They are paired with these absolutely gorgeous woodcut and watercolor illustrations. Each poem has a scientific explanation about the creature featured in the poem and there is an index of scientific terms in the back of the book. I believe that this book or "Zen Shorts" should've won the Caldecott Award that year. Highly recommended for ages 7-11, 5 stars.
• 
  Luann

  I loved this! Not only are the poems and illustrations great, but each poem is paired with a fascinating informational paragraph. I had never heard of the microscopic water bear. Did you know that it can live for decades out of water in a shriveled-up barrel shape until it is blown back into some water? Then it swells up again and resumes its normal life as a water bear!
• 
  Peacegal

  This wonderfully illustrated book collects a variety of poems about pond life, both plant and animal. The titular poem, which contrasts the lives of two similar-looking water insects, brought back memories of the time I caught a backswimmer bug in a public swimming pool and experienced a nasty bite (I had mistaken it for a much more peaceful water boatman).
• 
  Maria Grigoras

  Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems by Joyce Sidman is a picture book of poems focused around pond life and animals. The poems focus on a pond's living creatures, but they also discuss hibernation, the food chain, and the circle of life. The author also includes bits of factual information connected to each poem. Each poem has its own unique title and there is even a glossary at the end, depicting more challenging words.
  This Caldecott-award-winning poetry picture book is designed so that the reader learns fascinating facts while reading poetry. What's cool about this picture book is that its content can grasp the attention of both a younger and older audience because of the science intertwined within it. The book's illustrations are painted in an up-close fashion, making the reader feel like part of the pond life. The text's poetic language is intimate and the bold artwork makes the reader eager to look at it. The paragraphs full of bits of factual information are on the page opposite to the poem they correspond to. The pages are laid out on a two page spread so that the reader always feels involved with the text and art presented.