Pond Life: Revised and Updated (A Golden Guide from St. Martin's Press)

My grandchild loves nature and these books are great for her

Once Upon a Time when I was young I remember when school ended looking forward to three months of summer vacation.Summer vacation meant sleeping in if I want and still having a full day of fun ahead of me. School's out for summer. No more pencils no more books no more teachers dirty looks.Part of the fun of course was Pond life: hanging out around a body of water called a pond, collecting tadpoles in a bucket hoping by end of summer they would become frogs. Did you know it takes tadpoles as little as two weeks or as much as two years to become full-grown frogs depending on the species? I found out these little tidbits from a great little book titled Pond Life: this little pocket-sized book was an amazing collection of pictures and facts about all the diversity of pond life: the book became an essential guide I would carry with me in the months ahead to maximize enjoyment of Summer and all that it brings.As the weather got warmer in the Cleveland area this year and as I was driving between my tax appointments I periodically would cross a body of water and think back to Pond Life: oh how wonderful life would be if I didn't have to do all this work and could be on summer vacation just enjoying Pond life.I don't know if I really carried that book with me everyday but I have carried it with me over the years: as I moved from home to home that little book always had a spot on the bookshelf. To my astonishment I recently discovered I no longer have the book maybe it was sold in a garage sale on our last move who knows. But the book is a must-have an essential part of Summer I gotta get it back. Fortunately we have a thing called the internet and I was able to purchase a copy for under $5 shipped. I had to have this book before departing for our vacation this year and promised myself I would sit out in the Florida weather browsing Pond Life and contemplating the beginning of Summer. Yes it is the beginning of summer vacation: I am done with the tax service and have free time again and several months of great weather and great times ahead. No more teachers no more books… except for pond life of course.And so whatever it is that takes you back to the days of your summer vacation you need to find that item again whether on the internet or on your bookshelf or in the spirit of the season and not waste the days ahead. You need to collect the tadpoles now to have any hope of frogs by the end of summer.Pond Life!

Way back in 1969, when I was in kindergarten, my mom bought me my choice at a school book fair-a Golden Guide To Birds. That began a love of reference books in general and of Golden Guides in particular. This book is in spectacular condition; I'm not sure it's ever been read. It's perfect for my growing shelf of Golden Guides. Very, very pleased.

A friend and I have been sampling and observing pond scum under my microscope. I liked this book so much I bought her a copy. It brings to life all the microorganisms we have been watching. Even if you aren't into microbiology, the unique point of view here is worth the read.

I collect Golden Guides and was missing this one.Was what I was expecting.

I'm very much a nature lover. When this book arrived, I saw the small size (about 6" x 4") I felt a little dissappointed. I thought at least it would be something 'cute' for my kids, but would be far too basic for me.NOT AT ALL!I'm learning things I had no idea about. Did you know there are FRESHWATER JELLYFISH! I didn't!Do you get energized learning about things in the natural environment? If so, you might really want to give this book a try. The book does not go into tremendous detail about each critter or topic covered, but does so enough to grasp the subject matter, and further research if you're interested. As I did with freshwater jellyfish - for which I now have bookmarked videos of them.Another thing I liked, my attention span is not all that good. In my day, you got a smack on the back of the head, now they call it adhd....I found the book easy to read and follow. It's not like the longwinded boring educational type of book. You can flip through, find pictures of stuff you want to learn about and read - you don't have to read in a cover to cover manner.Very cool book, very nice suprises reading it!

Pond Life is like a general biology introduction to life found in ponds. All types of life are covered, albeit in very brief introductions. Plants and animals (microscopic to mammals to birds) each receive tertiary coverage. The book does not get into specifics on how wetlands function relation to other ecosystems, and such coverage would have been useful, but the overall emphasis is still relevant.The book is likely not intended to be read from cover to cover, as it is a field guide. Field guides are really meant to be brought along in a pocket for easy reference when making field identifications. In this respect, I am a big fan of other field guides in the series.This volume and its companions should be readily available at nature centers, but the price is low enough for people to purchase it for their own libraries. What it lacks in detail it makes up for in compactness and readability.

This little book is packed with information about streams, rivers, ponds lakes and wetlands and has one of the best collection of aquatic life in one small package you can find. Hand one of these books and a dip net to a kid, turn him loose in a local creek and you will have a new aquatic biologist in no time.

Short and simple this field guide provides all the information I need for working with school children, adults, or pretty much anyone. Clear and concise illustration and descriptions make this a perfect companion for anyone interested in wetlands and pond life regardless of age.

I found it very informative...

This us a book so it is used for reading about pond life

Very 'little' book. Old style (? sixties ?) hand-drawn photos lacks today's sharp quality photos.

Me parece una guía completa para el naturalista de a pie. La recomiendo para cualquier persona con una charca en su jardin