This book is about the Wetlands. Wetlands ss a place where water and soil meet. Animals such as birds, bass, minx, and muskrats struggle to survive. The author uses lyrical prose to develop a clear understanding of how each creature is linked to the chain of life. The House That Crack Built is another book that uses such lyrical prose to develop a clear understanding and meaning. There are beautiful visuals and detailed paintings that depict the beauty of nature. This would be a wonderful book to use in a science class when discussing nature, life cycles, and the chain of life. ( )

This book is a repetitive poem a'la "There was an old lady" but instead of an old lady, its different plants and animals in a marsh which are all part of the same food chain. The eleven plants and animals which are introduced each get one line in the poem about what they eat The language contains several challenging vocabulary words but the structure is very simple. On artistic merits, the poetry is a bit lacking and some of the progressions are hard to read aloud. My kids were a bit bored with this one, and I think it was the odd rhythm of the poem that lost them. It certainly wasn't the illustrations, which were outstanding and did a great job of creating the atmosphere and look of marsh. The picture are detailed and very realistic. This book would work well in a primary unit on Louisiana wildlife, land forms, or wetlands in general. ( )

This informational story picture book gives a nice rudimentary and accessible view of the wetlands environment. The book uses prominent illustration to portray this captivating perspective. The information is focused on the interaction of organisms and is very limited in scope and depth. The style is has clarity and uses a poetic tone that describes how many animals in the wetlands depend on each other. Their are virtually no background expectations as this book is very basic and probably intended for a k - 3 audience but its artistic nature makes it appealing to more age levels. The book is organized by the poems structure which is repetitive and cumulative. Each page repeats what has come before, adding a new line to the composition while the artwork illustrates the pages addition. There are no reference aids except for a final page which identifies the organisms referred to in the text. Information on the author tells the reader that the writer has a degree in anthropology and develops educational programs based on her research of global environmental conditions. ( )

this is great book to use for wetland unit in science