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Over and Under the Pond
Over and Under the Pond
Written by Kate Messner, Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal
Approx. Grade Level: K-3
Lexile: AD660L
Fountas and Pinnell: O/P
Summary: In this gorgeous companion to the acclaimed Over and Under the Snow and Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal bring to life a secret underwater world. In this book, readers will discover the plants and animals that make up the rich, interconnected ecosystem of a mountain pond. Over the pond, the water is a mirror, reflecting the sky. But under the pond is a hidden world of minnows darting, beavers diving, tadpoles growing. These and many other secrets are waiting to be discovered...over and under the pond.
Illustration Style: watercolor and digital
"Praised for his retro-style, Neal use a range of tradition media (pencils, pens, brushes, gouache and acrylic) before taking his work into Photoshop. He starts with pencil sketches, then creates digital mock-ups to explore colour and composition. For the final art each colour is painted separately, then scanned as a black and white. Digitally, he colours each separation, then layers one on top of the other to make a complete image." -Illustrators Lounge, by Geo Neo
Author and Illustrator Background:
Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Pond, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, Over and Under the Pond, The Brilliant Deep, and How to Read a Story; novels that tackle real-world issues like Breakout, All the Answers, and The Seventh Wish; mysteries and thrillers like Capture the Flag, Eye of the Storm, and Wake Up Missing; the Fergus and Zeke easy reader series; and the popular Ranger in Time chapter book series about a time-traveling search and rescue dog. Before becoming a full-time writer, Kate was a TV news reporter as well as an educator who spent fifteen years teaching middle school English. She lives on Lake Champlain (yes, she lives in Vermont!) with her family and is trying to summit all 46 Adirondack High Peaks in between book deadlines.
Christopher Silas Neal is an award-winning author and illustrator of picture books including Over and Under the Snow with author Kate Messner, which was praised for its "stunning retro-style illustrations" (New York Times), was a 2011 New York Times Editor's Choice and an E.B. White Honoree in 2012. Neal's author debut titled Everyone was praised by Publisher's Weekly as "simple, honest, lyrical". He creates book jackets, art for magazines and posters, and occasionally directs and designs animated videos. He speaks about his books, the art making process, and his career at schools, conferences, libraries and book festivals across the country. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Links to:
Kate Messner Author Study Guide (of picture books) by Chronicle Books, especially using the nonfiction texts Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Snow which are also written and illustrated by the same pair
The Classroom Bookshelf blog post with teaching resources for the text such as using senses to explore the sounds of a pond, perspectives in illustration (would be great for an art extension)
Pond habitat resources from Young People's Trust for the Environment includes a student friendly definition of a pond, amphibians, frogs and dragonflies and go through the step by step guide to making and managing a pond
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