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Long Pond
Box Turtle at Long Pond
"A day in the life of a box turtle is rendered carefully in words and lifelike illustrations with a text that respects its subject....Superior."--School Library Journal. "Will delight the young viewer. An excellent introduction to pond ecology, and a strikingly beautiful book."--Kirkus Reviews. It is dawn at Long Pond. Box Turtle's red eyes look out from his shelter within a crumbling tree, and his day begins ... In Beaver at Long Pond , the Georges introduced the pond and its resident. In this lyrical, magnificently painted companion book, they insure its place as a favorite spot on every child's itinerary.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 6, 2025
Loved the illustrations!
February 26, 2017
A perfect book about a box turtle's day. Excellent writing and illustrations.
April 8, 2017
There's a lot of amazing illustrations in it.
March 16, 2021
Synopsis - a story about a day in the life of a box turtle. The box turtle wakes up and spends its day looking for food, warming up in the sun, and evading a raccoon. It finds some worms and bites their heads off before eating them. It hides in a log while it rains for part of the day. It watches a grouse knock some grapes on the ground before stuffing itself with them and falling to sleep.
Evaluation - Young children, anywhere from 3 to older, will love learning about what box turtles do all day. The illustrations are excellent and the language of the book is not advanced at all, making it easy to read before bed. It is a "nonfiction" book in the sense that it reads like a documentary of box turtle eating, sleeping, and other habits. Descriptions are full and varied. By the end of the book, which is only about 15 pages, you genuinely care about how the box turtle is doing and hope the best for it.
This is an amazing, refreshing book. In a sea of children's literature filled with temperamental llamas, "woke" culture, and potty humor, it is so nice to read a simple, well-written book that children can learn and be fascinated by.
Evaluation - Young children, anywhere from 3 to older, will love learning about what box turtles do all day. The illustrations are excellent and the language of the book is not advanced at all, making it easy to read before bed. It is a "nonfiction" book in the sense that it reads like a documentary of box turtle eating, sleeping, and other habits. Descriptions are full and varied. By the end of the book, which is only about 15 pages, you genuinely care about how the box turtle is doing and hope the best for it.
This is an amazing, refreshing book. In a sea of children's literature filled with temperamental llamas, "woke" culture, and potty humor, it is so nice to read a simple, well-written book that children can learn and be fascinated by.
April 12, 2020
Beautiful illustrations and accurate facts about box turtles in the prose. Perfect for 1st-2nd grade. Box turtles are native in multiple regions of the US, including Texas. I would use this as part of a lesson with the box turtles we have at the nature center.
February 28, 2018
Spectacular, realistic paintings and poetic, closely observed prose combine in an excellet nonfiction text perfect for 1st & 2nd graders.
February 17, 2021
Great book for young kids
March 10, 2021
A day in the life of a box turtle. Great introduction to nonfiction.
September 16, 2022
Very dry, but beautiful art!
February 11, 2023
In this beautifully illustrated picture book we find fascinating details about the box turtle. Very interesting story.
May 13, 2009
This book tells the story of one day in the life of a box turtle as he searches for food and interacts with other animals (one of which tries to eat him.) It is a naturalistic story, not anthropomorphized, and the carefully crafted text draws the reader into the animals moment-by-moment experience, and Lindsay George's beautiful realistic illustrations capture the turtle's movements and personality well.
The best way to observe a turtle is sitting or lying quietly outdoors, watching it in person. But this book isn't a bad runner-up to that ideal.
The best way to observe a turtle is sitting or lying quietly outdoors, watching it in person. But this book isn't a bad runner-up to that ideal.
March 10, 2009
Good science book, told in story format, about a box turtle's day, from waking to going to bed. Includes what he eats, how he gets that food, what he does during rain, and one of his predators. My girls narrated this book back to me after we read it.
January 23, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book simply because I am a sucker for turtles. I adore turtles and their protective shell barriers. This book paints the simplistic life of a turtle and portrays it in a scientific yet narrative way.
September 26, 2011
This is a great nonfiction narrative about box turtles. The George's worked wonderfully together and this text is one that a reader can appreciate for both its illustrations and its text. Great book.
February 21, 2014
Excellent illustrations and solid, factual material. Simple but not dumb. The Georges make wonderful books.
January 16, 2016
A day in the life of a turtle living beside a pond. He spends the time foraging for good and dodging other animals.
Beautiful, realistic illustrations.
Beautiful, realistic illustrations.
June 13, 2016
Enjoyable story about a day in the life of a box turtle. Realistic occurrences with illustrations to match. Recommended for nature and turtle lovers.
April 28, 2022
A day in the life of a male box turtle. Very educational on habitat and behavior without feeling too scientifically nitty-gritty; an easy read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews