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ON DUCK POND Booklist Starred Review

BOOKLIST

On Duck Pond

Issue: March 15, 2017

Yolen, Jane (Author) , Marstall, Bob (Illustrator)

 

Apr 2017. 32 p. Cornell Lab/Persnickety, hardcover, $15.95. (9781943645220).

When a flock of ducks descends on a quiet pond, their raucous calls startle the other animals, who scatter. The turtle dives into the water, while the frog leaps off his lily pad and the heron flies to her nest. A boy observes the scene, watching as the ducks move on, the rippling waters go still again, and the other animals return. As he walks homeward, “An understanding quickly dawned: / We’d shared a shock, and now a bond. / And I was feeling very fond, / Of everyone on old Duck Pond.” Written with simplicity and subtle sensory cues, Yolen’s poem establishes a strong sense of place as well as a mood that shifts with the arrival and departure of the ducks. An expressive painter, Marstall contributes a series of scenes that define the landscape and its inhabitants with subtlety, grace, and humor. Even after the animals have scattered to hide, a few are visible in the illustrations for children to find. A sequel to Yolen and Marstall’s On Bird Hill (2016), this picture book reflects a solid understanding of the natural world. Both the words and the illustrations are well crafted, but together they become something more: a beautiful picture book that is unexpectedly moving.

— Carolyn Phelan

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ON DUCK POND Press Release

ON DUCK POND

BY JANE YOLEN

ILLUSTRATED BY BOB MARSTALL

 

SEQUEL TO THE “IMAGINATIVE AND ORIGINAL”* ON BIRD HILL WELCOMES CHILDREN TO THE WONDER OF NATURE

*starred, Kirkus

(February 2017) This spring, Cornell Lab Publishing Group is pleased to present On Duck Pond (April 2017; ISBN: 978-1-943645-22-0; $15.95; Ages 3 – 5) by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Bob Marstall, the sequel to the critically acclaimed children’s picture book On Bird Hill that launched the imprint.

On Duck Pond continues the story of a boy and his dog as they explore a nearby pond. However, their peaceful adventure is interrupted by a flock of ducks that alight on the pond and scatter its inhabitants. When the ducks take flight, the frogs, fish, and other creatures return and serenity descends again, inspiring the boy to appreciate both the calm and the cacophony of nature’s beauty.

Yolen’s lyrical poetry combined with Marstall’s beautiful full-page illustrations, which offer both sweeping landscape views of the pond as well as detailed close-ups of its occupants, brings to life the stillness, rising chaos, and return to balance of this rhythmic tale. At the end of the book, young readers will find a unique interactive element that encourages them to explore the natural world, offering information about the pond habitat as well as detailing the different animals children can search for within the book’s illustrations: the Eastern Cottontail, the American Bullfrog, the Dragonfly, and more. On Duck Pond is the perfect bedtime story to send little ones off into quiet slumber as the pond’s residents settle once more.

“Both the words and the illustrations are well crafted, but together they become something more: a beautiful picture book that is unexpectedly moving.” – Booklist, starred review (On Duck Pond)

“A prolific and skillful writer, Yolen chooses her words carefully and interestingly, putting them together in ways that read aloud gracefully…Another fine entry for a ‘sense of wonder’ collection.” – Kirkus (On Duck Pond)

“[A]n intimate reflection on a small Massachusetts pond, where a placid scene can change at a moment’s notice…this story feels grounded in careful, quiet observation…A sunlit glow seems to infuse Marstall’s landscapes, and he’s carefully attentive to the physical details of the birds, frogs, and other creatures the boy notices.” – Publishers Weekly (On Duck Pond)

About the Author: Jane Yolen has authored more than 350 books including the Caldecott-winning Owl Moon, loved by children and bird watchers of all ages, You Nest Here With Me which is a popular new favorite, and the New York Times bestselling series How Do Dinosaurs. Jane Yolen’s books have been translated into over 20 languages and are popular around the world. Her husband David Stemple was both a well-known bird recordist and a professor of computer science and he taught the entire family how to identify birds. Many of Ms. Yolen’s books are about wildlife subjects, especially the winged kind. Jane lives in Easthampton, MA.

About the Illustrator: Bob Marstall is the illustrator of nine nonfiction children’s books, including The Lady and the Spider, which sold over a quarter-of-a-million copies and was a Reading Rainbow selection. Bob has also been honored with an ALA Notable; an IRA Teachers’ Choice; a Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children; and three John Burroughs selections. In addition, two of Bob’s books are included in the New York Times Parent’s Guide’s “1001 Best Books of the Twentieth Century.” Bob lives in Easthampton, MA.

About the Cornell Lab: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. Our hallmarks are scientific excellence and technological innovation to advance the understanding of nature and to engage people of all ages in learning about birds and protecting the planet. birds.cornell.edu

For more information, please contact Tracey Daniels at tracey@mmpublicity.com or 828-808-2581.

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AM I LIKE YOU? – Kirkus Reviews

kirkus

 

 

by Laura Erickson, Brian Sockin, illustrated by Anna Rettberg
Age Range: 4 – 6

They play a game called “Am I Like You?” in which they address the questions “What birds are like us? / What birds are we like?” The illustrations are skillfully drawn, bold, and Disney-esque in aesthetic, clearly and accurately portraying characteristics of common North American birds: American robin, chickadee, cardinal, blue jay, red-tailed hawk, hummingbird, Canada goose, mallard, great blue heron, pigeon, and owl…a 21st-century meditation on selfhood. (Picture book. 4-6)

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ON BIRD HILL – Booklist Review

Does Jane Yolen Ever Sleep? We Really Want to Know.

By Cindy Dobrez & Lynn RutanJuly 11, 2016

Lynn: OK, I really want to have a heart to heart with Jane Yolen. I want to talk to her about her exclusive children’s book series on the new trade publishing imprint from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and her gorgeous new book, On Bird Hill (2016). But I also want to talk to her about sleep.

I don’t believe the amazing Yolen has time to sleep. She’s the author of over 350 books—350 books!—including this one. I, like many women of a certain age, struggle with insomnia, but whereas I stumble around like a zombie, Jane Yolen keeps on making beautiful books. Does she sleep? I need to know!

While I await this insight, let me talk about this truly lovely new book. This is first in a new series created especially for the Cornell Lab Publishing Group, dedicated, according a recent press release, to furthering “the Cornell Lab’s mission of nurturing new generations in the appreciation and care of birds, setting the stage for environmental custodianship.” That is a wonderful mission, and if Yolen’s contribution is any indication, this effort has started very promisingly.

Yolen’s sweet rhyming text is based loosely on a cumulative nursery rhyme first published in 1912. In Yolen’s version, a small boy and his dog explore a wondrously strange valley, where they come upon a bird sitting on an egg that hatches as they watch. The bird and its chick are unlike any I’ve ever seen, but the peace and joy of the event smiles out from the pages. The narrator switches from boy to bird, as chick and boy observe their world, underscoring the intertwined relationship of humans and nature. I also love Bob Marstall’s fantastical illustrations.

Cindy: I have no trouble sleeping, but if it is, in fact, insomnia which allows Jane Yolen to create so many riches for her readers, I’m thankful for it. I suspect that those of us jealous of her talent must waste too much time on lesser pursuits. Whatever the cause, I’m delighted that she has yet another outlet, one that created this perfect rhyme:

The chick was tiny, shell was thick,
But crick, crick, crack, he was so quick.

We are all explorers once we leave our egg and look around. Marstall’s curving lines and paths draw the reader in with tiny nature scenes and humor. The illustrations not only complement Yolen’s rhyming text perfectly, but enhance the theme of paying attention to the world around us.

Coloring book fans should also turn their attention to the Cornell Lab Publishing Group’s most recent release, this week’s America’s Favorite Birds: 40 Beautiful Birds to Color (July 16, 2016), by Miyoko Chu and Brenda Lyons. Large illustrations are paired with bird information, as well as a full-color photo spread of the forty birds portrayed therein that serves as a reference for those who want to be accurate in their color choices. I think I’ll buy a copy for Lynn so that when she’s up in the middle of the night, she’ll have something to do.

In the meantime, Jane Yolen will probably have written another book. (Publisher Hint: She has.)

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ON BIRD HILL – Bob Marstall Book Signing in Central Park

The Cornell Lab and Cornell Lab Publishing Group were invited to help the Central Park Conservancy host its annual ON A WING FESTIVAL held on Saturday, May 7th in NYC. Award-winning illustrator, Bob Marstall, joined us for a book signing of the release of his and Jane Yolen’s new children’s picture book, ON BIRD HILL. We were flanked by a few awesome feathered friends too!

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