Box Turtle at Long Pond

A day in the life of a box turtle is chronicled by the creators of Beaver at Long Pond. As dawn breaks, the turtle crawls out of the log where he spent the night and heads for the pond. He passes the day searching for grapes and hunting worms. When a raccoon overturns the turtle and eats all of his worms, the turtle tries to catch grasshoppers and to find more grapes. He burrows into another nesting spot for the night. Magnificent gouache paintings depict a turtle's-eye view of the pond and the woods surrounding it. Small details of lichen, moss, pine needles, insects and headless worms are exquisitely rendered. Unfortunately, the text does not live up to the pictures; overly simple sentences relate pertinent information, but without much zip. Despite this drawback, the book is a lovely addition to a naturalist's library, for the information conveyed in the pictures. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)