(3) K-3 Illustrated by Miki Sato. The sound of peepers in early spring leads two children to discover a world of life in a vernal pool. The detailed collage illustrations, perfectly suited to the gently rhyming text, show the young naturalists returning to observe the area in subsequent seasons. Helpful back matter about vernal pools is appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Rebekah Raye. "You might mistake me for a puddle...I most certainly am not!" Vernal pools, temporary bodies of water on forest floors in springtime, are critical to the life cycles of their amphibian, invertebrate, and microorganism inhabitants. Lyrical passages about vernal-pool life are accompanied by highly informative sidebars; Raye's jam-packed, woodsy illustrations call for close examination. A welcome addition to books on natural habitats. Glos.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin