On Duck Pond

As I walked by the old Duck Pond, Its stillness as the morning dawned Was shattered by a raucous call: A quack of ducks both large and small... On Duck Pond brings Jane Yolen and Bob Marstall together to tell the story of a quiet duck pond, filled with creatures large and small going about their daily business. Suddenly, a noisy raft of ducks descends onto the scene, and tranquility is replaced by noise and chaos. And then, just as quickly as they appeared, they move on, and the pond settles back from calamity to calm. From a short distance, a boy watches the scene while strolling around the old Duck Pond with his dog, observing how the frogs, fish, tadpoles, herons, turtles, and other creatures who live in and near the pond react to the raucous duck invasion. As he does, he begins to understand what is precious about both stillness and noise. The back of On Duck Pond includes information from the Cornell Lab about the pond habitat and the colorful cast of characters in the story, encouraging children to look for wildlife in their own local ponds. An understanding quickly dawned: We'd shared a shock, and now a bond... "A beautiful picture book that is unexpectedly moving." - Booklist starred review "Breathtaking! Yolen is the Hans Christian Andersen of today." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution "Speaks to the joy of paying attention to one's surroundings." - Kirkus Reviews--Publisher's Weekly (February 27, 2017)