Two white men, both “dreamers,” mine the treasures of Walden Pond. Henry David Thoreau, a nature lover, aspires to live simply and record in writing his observations of the pond and its wildlife. Frederic Tudor, a man in debt, sees a business opportunity in Walden Pond. From his one-room cabin, Thoreau watches as Tudor arrives with men, horses, and equipment and begins to harvest a thick layer of ice from the frozen pond. Written in poems and divided into sections according to season, the narrative describes the ice’s temporary storage (“blanketed in sawdust and hay” next to the pond), lengthy sea voyage to India, and eventual consumption by the wealthy white inhabitants of Calcutta. Even after it has left Walden Pond, the ice continues to inspire Thoreau’s diary entries; he imagines it “mingled with / the sacred water / of the Ganges.” Soft illustrations evoke the pond’s natural beauty and provide fascinating glimpses into ice harvesting and storage.   (Ages 7-9)