Kids love the slimy and slithery stuff in life. And life doesn't get any more slimy and slithery than in the local pond. From the fun and enlightening Hand in Hand with Nature series, here is a full-color guide to the frogs, toads, turtles, water bugs, and other pond residents nestled inside a custom-designed Tadpole Tank with a special strainer/magnifying lens lid.

Because a pond is a unique, self-contained ecosystem, The Pond Book is a uniquely self-contained guide to how an ecosystem works. Over 40 species are covered in the book, and kids learn how each contributes to the life of a pond.

There's a spider that goes fishing, a bug that breathes through a tube, a larva that builds a house out of twigs and pebbles. Sixteen pages are devoted to frogs, toads, and tadpoles: how they live, what they eat, why it's important not to handle them.

Shatterproof and see-through, the Tadpole Tank is topped with the pondwand, a combination lid/strainer with a folding handle and a special magnifying lens in the center so young wetland scientists can watch even the tiniest creatures slink and swim. Selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. Suitable for ages 7-11. 78,000 copies in print.