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Pond Circle
On a summer night by a small pond, all seems still. But a closer look reveals a world of activity—mayflies dart, beetles dive, frogs spring, skunks shuffle, and owls swoop. As a young girl watches, the circle of life unfolds. Betsy Franco’s rhythmic, cumulative text makes this a lively read-aloud, and rich, luminous paintings by Stefano Vitale capture the bold beauty of nature. Young readers will be inspired to journey into their own backyards and discover the wonder of the living, breathing world around them.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2009
4 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Franco
152 books41 followersBetsy Franco is an accomplished and versatile author whose body of work spans over 80 published titles, including fiction, young adult novels, picture books, and poetry collections. Known for her creative, collage-like approach to storytelling, Franco has also written a screenplay for each of her novels, with Naked optioned for film and The Art of Love currently in post-production.
Franco has a strong background in film and theater, having served as the screenwriting mentor for Metamorphosis, Junior Year, a film adaptation of her novel and play. The project was a family collaboration involving her sons James and Tom Franco, and it was well received at major festivals including Cinequest and Mill Valley, earning recognition as a top ten film by the San Jose Mercury News.
Her creative partnerships with her sons continue across various mediums: she appeared in James Franco’s film The Broken Tower and on General Hospital, while Tom Franco has illustrated her books and co-produced films with her. She also works closely with her son Dave Franco, who assists with her writing projects and participated in the audiobook of Metamorphosis, Junior Year alongside James.
Franco has a strong background in film and theater, having served as the screenwriting mentor for Metamorphosis, Junior Year, a film adaptation of her novel and play. The project was a family collaboration involving her sons James and Tom Franco, and it was well received at major festivals including Cinequest and Mill Valley, earning recognition as a top ten film by the San Jose Mercury News.
Her creative partnerships with her sons continue across various mediums: she appeared in James Franco’s film The Broken Tower and on General Hospital, while Tom Franco has illustrated her books and co-produced films with her. She also works closely with her son Dave Franco, who assists with her writing projects and participated in the audiobook of Metamorphosis, Junior Year alongside James.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 32 reviews
June 30, 2014
The story behind Pond Circle is one that explains how one ecosystem is connected with another. A simple place such as a pond has its ties indirectly with many other living things. These connections might not be widely known by the younger intended audience. The authors writing style for this particular story makes it easy for the students to follow along. The author adds another step of the food chain and repeats the previous creatures and their activities. The book could be easily followed by students because they can remember the previous creatures. This would raise up a question on whether the children are actually reading or simply remembering the animals. The simplicity of the story can be made into a lesson where the young students can think critically about categorizing the animals into groups. The labels could be plant eating and meat eating.
This book would be a great book to read when discussing life cycles with younger children. The book has a glossary section that gives a small description on all the animals that were mentioned in the book. The author uses distinct vocabulary that describes the organism. The descriptions are beautifully paired with the illustrations. The illustrations are the best piece of this book. The illustrations seem to be painted on wood. Pond Circle will be a great edition to a science unit or as a read aloud.
This book would be a great book to read when discussing life cycles with younger children. The book has a glossary section that gives a small description on all the animals that were mentioned in the book. The author uses distinct vocabulary that describes the organism. The descriptions are beautifully paired with the illustrations. The illustrations are the best piece of this book. The illustrations seem to be painted on wood. Pond Circle will be a great edition to a science unit or as a read aloud.
July 11, 2021
Food web/ecosystem of a pond examined in the style of “The house that Jack built”/a cumulative story. I guess this makes it entertaining for children, but it’s not a personal favorite style of mine. There was some decent info about each animal included, and the illustrations were pretty nice. Overall fine just not a favorite for me.
December 31, 2019
A preschool and up book about one event int he night leading to another where each page recapes the pages before as each animal gets involved.
October 25, 2021
Lyrical and rhythmic. Lovely illustrations
March 8, 2022
Dramatic illustrations with stark and bold imagery.
September 26, 2022
Really good simple book about the food chain of a pond.
July 25, 2023
Perfect for teaching food chains and pond life. Lots of repetition so not one I would want to read too often personally, but a good resource for our unit on ponds.
October 6, 2023
A "The House that Jack Built" style story about local pond wildlife and I loved it! And excellent book for children!
March 22, 2017
A simple, rhyming introduction to the food web taking place at a country pond. I do wish it wouldn't have resorted to the "House that Jack Built" rhyme scheme, as that is so over-used in kids' materials.
October 24, 2023
A beautifully written, meditative, and deliciously terrifying small slice of the circle of life. You won't be able to resist reading aloud phrases like, "skunks shuffle" and "raccoons rummage."
June 17, 2009
Follow the life cycle in a small pond as this story builds one layer on the next in a traditional folktale style. The book starts with the “deep, still water” and moves from one plant to creature growing and growing. This is a simple story that culminates in a young girl looking out from her window over the pond and seeing all of the creatures and plants mentioned. By tying humans into the story, we are connected and reminded of the world around us in a subtle way. I also appreciated as the repetition got to get lengthy that the phrasing changed slightly and was refreshed.
The writing is excellent with small touches that make it very special. I appreciate the descriptive language of “jade green algae” for instance. What takes this book to a higher level is the art. Painted on wood, the art incorporates the swirls of the wood grain into watery waves, sunset-lit clouds, and even wallpaper. Ingeniously selected and painted to great effect, the paintings are stylish, colorful and reflect that traditional but modern feel of the entire book.
Highly recommended for units on life cycles, this book will work well with very small children who will enjoy the repetition but also with older children who will appreciate the science and style. Appropriate for ages 2-7.
The writing is excellent with small touches that make it very special. I appreciate the descriptive language of “jade green algae” for instance. What takes this book to a higher level is the art. Painted on wood, the art incorporates the swirls of the wood grain into watery waves, sunset-lit clouds, and even wallpaper. Ingeniously selected and painted to great effect, the paintings are stylish, colorful and reflect that traditional but modern feel of the entire book.
Highly recommended for units on life cycles, this book will work well with very small children who will enjoy the repetition but also with older children who will appreciate the science and style. Appropriate for ages 2-7.
March 1, 2010
_Pond Circle_ is a cumulative tale similar in rhythm and structure to "The House That Jack Built." Stefano Vitale's beautiful paintings (acrylic on boards, I believe)illuminate the somewhat grim story, which deals with the food chain in and around the pond. Vitale was nominated for the Prairie Pasque Award in 2009 for the _New York Times_ bestseller, _Why War Is Never a Good Idea._ The author, Betsy Franco, was nominated for a Bluegrass Award for her book _You Hear Me?: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys_.
October 24, 2012
This book is an example of pattern writing much like the book "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". It takes place in the pond with the algae being at one end of the food chain and a coyote being at the other. The artwork is really beautiful and vibrant and kids would enjoy the pictures. Upper elementary students could use this for science as an example of a food chain. Little children may be frightened by the animals eating each other.
Franco, B., & Vitale, S. (2009). Pond circle. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
Franco, B., & Vitale, S. (2009). Pond circle. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
July 18, 2009
Told cumulatively like 'This is the House that Jack Built'.
Beautifully illustrated.
I didn't realize that this book illustrates a food chain, so some of the illustrations caught me by surprise (the cute little frog being swallowed by a snake, the skunk chomping down on the snake, and the raccoon stealing owl eggs). :(
Won't be reading this one to my toddler! Recommend for school-agers.
Beautifully illustrated.
I didn't realize that this book illustrates a food chain, so some of the illustrations caught me by surprise (the cute little frog being swallowed by a snake, the skunk chomping down on the snake, and the raccoon stealing owl eggs). :(
Won't be reading this one to my toddler! Recommend for school-agers.
October 27, 2010
This is the most poetic example of an ecosystem/food chain I have ever seen. I really liked it!
Sort of a building story ...
"This is the water
the deep still water
that filled the pond
by Anna's house.
This is the algae
the jade green algae
that grew in the water
that filled the pond
by Anna's house."
Sort of a building story ...
"This is the water
the deep still water
that filled the pond
by Anna's house.
This is the algae
the jade green algae
that grew in the water
that filled the pond
by Anna's house."
January 2, 2010
Depicts the circle of life in one pond, reads like The House That Jack Built. The large, clear illustrations make this a nice choice for group read alouds. I'm considering it for my 4-6 storytime this year.
June 1, 2010
This is similiar to THE LITTLE OLD DAY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY. I like it because it is using a pond as the setting. It ties in a food chain using the animals living in the pond habitat. I especially like the animal facts in the back of the book.
Read
July 29, 2011A variation of I know an old woman who swallowed a fly, I don't know why, but cleverly rewritten to be less preposterous and more anchored in nature--and really truely gorgeous illustrations--I would get this for an infant to one year old because it is lovely to look at and rhythmic to read.
October 29, 2013
Beautiful illustrations, had to read REALLY fast towards the end as each page repeats the previous pages. Kept the girls interested by asking them to point out animals and what sounds they make...frog and coyote were favorites.
December 18, 2014
The pictures mesh with the text in a hypnotic way; I cannot praise Stefano Vitale too much. He seems to be at his best when he is depicting non-human subjects: his imaginative framing of each concept is exceptional.
January 8, 2017
Love how the illustrator, who painted on wood, used the natural grain to create ripples on the pond and clouds in the sunset! The text is frank about the ecological food chain without being morbid. Very nice nature book.
June 18, 2009
Luminescent pictures illustrate the life cycle of the animals that live in the pond, told in the classic This is the house format.
July 30, 2009
Food chains, pond ecology
October 19, 2009
Nice life cycle / House that Jack built tale. Love the oil-on-wood paintings that let the grain of the wood show through.
October 29, 2010
Lovely Read Aloud to teach food chains. Love the illustrations and the facts to pond-er. I call this a cross-over book. That is it crosses the fiction - information line.
May 25, 2011
The pictures were beautiful, but the kids kept asking why I kept repeating myself.
May 6, 2013
Written in the style of the House that Jack built we can see the relationship of different animals that live at a pond.
May 16, 2014
*3.5*
January 6, 2015
Love the illustrations in this book and like the animals that appear and the hints of a food web as well. Will definitely get again!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 32 reviews