Pool Party!

by Amy Hevron

Discover the tiny, fascinating world that exists among the leaves of a rainforest plant in this new book in an illuminating nonfiction picture book series that explores how even the smallest habitats play big roles in nature.

Welcome to a rainforest celebration! Hear rain showers tickle the treetops! See rainbows color the canopy! Watch raindrops dance down into the forest…and form freshwater pools among the leaves of a bromeliad plant.

Did you know that a tiny habitat can form in a small pool of water among the leaves of a plant? In the rainforest, bromeliad plants live in the trees and have wide leaves that catch rainwater. These rainwater pools become vibrant homes for small critters like tree frogs and insects and food sources for big critters like monkeys and parrots!

With snappy, funny text and lush illustrations, this book invites curious readers to explore a tiny habitat that’s a sky-high pool party in full swing.

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published September 23, 2025

About the author

Author-illustrator Amy Hevron lives in Seattle, Washington. She draws inspiration from wildlife, nature, and travel. Amy is a two-time winner of the Portfolio Honor Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Reviews

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is a bromeliad? Well, the book doesn’t answer that right away but we get an inkling from the various faunae that congregate in and around it.

The childish illustrations are nevertheless brightly hued, featuring a diverse number of creatures that fill the book’s pages. As the year continues, the number of creatures proliferate, causing the eye to flit all over the page to catch them all.

The book comes with a more in-depth explanation of the bromeliad and the two seasons that define its existence. The explanation doesn’t shy away from words like “epiphytes”. It also mentions the terrible deforestation that the Atlantic Forest has suffered and urges the need for conservation. Let’s hope this book inspires the next generation of thoughtful ecologists.

[Martha Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Hevron is amazing! This is the second absolutely fabulous book about a tiny ecosystem she's published in 2025, the first being Poo Pile on the Prairie. I know what a bromeliad is (a house plant) but had no idea what a critical role they play in the Mata Atlantica, the Atlantic Forest in South America. The bromeliad pools serve as a source of water in the tree tops and a nursery for frogs and many insects, drawing in many rainforest animals hunting for food as well as water. Come join the pool party! Read this book to kids 4 - 8 years old, but prepare to wow the adults within listening range too.

[Brandi Rae Fong]

This entry in Hevron's Tiny Habitats series focuses on all the ways a single plant supports life in the rainforest throughout the rainy and dry seasons; especially funny were the asides and commentary from all the creatures. Simple enough for Pre-K, but enough happening for slightly older kids as well.
The author's note gives more details, filling in the functions of the bromeliads; I only wish there was a small map showing where in South America the Atlantic Rainforest is located.
I liked this one a bit more than some of the others in the Tiny Habitats series, and most of them would make great companion reads with some of Kate Messner's Over and Under series.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC: informative and entertaining.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this series

[Andrea ODonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute science focused book about bromeliads! A little serious for a baby which is where we are right now. Would I read it again? Not until maybe 3rd grade?

[Michelle Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to read this to my storytime group. Great, boldly colored illustrations and simple but informative text.