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Thursday, April 1, 2010

Looking Closely Around The Pond, by Frank Serafini. Kids Can Press, 2010. $16.95 ages 5 and up


"Look very closely.
What do you see?
Seashells?
Butterfly wings?
What could it be?"

In this fifth edition to the 'Looking Closely' series, the skilled and perceptive Dr. Frank Serafini once again invites his intended audience to take time to view the natural world with new eyes. He encourages possibilities with the question, then shows the right answer in a detailed close-up photograph which children will pore over to discover all that they can about the nine plants and animals shown to live in this home called a pond.

As he then provides the clear photograph, he also includes a well-researched, short and informative accounting of the pictured inhabitant. In doing so, he draws his audience's attention to the small wonders of life in this environment and encourages them to stay and ponder what he has disclosed. Kids love guessing games and the challenge that the author offers will be much appreciated by both reader and listener alike.

The final double page image shows a misty, early dawn or dusk image of the pond in all its beauty, containing those plants and animals he has so carefully described for us.

The other titles in the series include The Shore, The Garden, The Desert and The Forest. Be sure to check them out at the library or ask your favorite bookseller to order them so that you can have a complete set. They are worth it!

I will end with a quote from Dr. Serafini:

"Photographers pay attention to things that most people overlook or take for granted. I can spend hours wandering along the shore, through the forest, across the desert or in my garden, looking for interesting things to photograph. My destination is not a place, but rather a new way of seeing."

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