Salamander Dance by David Fitzsimmons describes the lives of spotted salamanders, with an emphasis on vernal pools. The book is beautifully illustrated with two-page spreads by Michael DiGiorgio. The content is presented in chronological order. In late winter and early spring, the melting snow and rains create valuable breeding habitats for salamanders and wood frogs. These pools are home to insects and plankton, food for salamander larvae and tadpoles. Readers learn about the astonishing metamorphosis that salamanders undergo as the vernal pool disappears in summer. To adapt to life on land, they lose their gills and grow lungs! Included at the end of book is more information about vernal pools and spotted salamanders. There’s a glossary on the last page. Salamander Dance introduces young readers to narrative nonfiction and subject specific vocabulary.
This book is read aloud
online by Wild Learning Project.
My Picture Book Talk for this story is here.
