Bubby's Puddle Pond is a story about a tortoise living in the Sonoran Desert. He goes on an adventure in and we get to know Bubby and we also get to meet his friends and learn more about tortoises, other animals and their habitats. I recommend this beautifully illustrated book for your littles ones. A great book if you are thinking about adding a tortoise to your family.

This is a cute educational children's book about a turtle living as a pet outside and all the different wild life he will meet and make friends with. I enjoyed the story, told in simple sentences, making it really easy for children to understand. I'm really happy I found this book buried in my Kindle library.

This was a good nonfiction read aloud, but sometimes the words overwhelmed the page. I liked the highlighted words and the glossary in the back.

This is a cute book that mostly emphasizes meeting new species of animals and trees. It has a full glossary, which helps for children with things like mesquite trees, and other species native to the area where the book is focused. Bubby is a very inquisitive little guy.

My copy came through Net Galley. I leave this review of my own free will and it contains my thoughts and opinions of this work.

Bubby’s Puddle Pond by Carol Hageman is a short, sweet story about a darling baby desert tortoise. Not only is there information about tortoise life, and behaviour, but there are great lessons of cooperation, sharing, and accepting differences in others. Bubby is adopted by a ma and daughter, and has the run of the tortuga-friendly backyard. He meets new friends- a bunny, a cactus wren, a gecko, a quail, and a puppy. Bubby comes to share his burrow with both Cotton the Bunny and Dottie the Gecko. There is a lesson in courage, when Bubby must go investigate what the strange man is doing in the yard, and things don't go as he expected!

This was certainly a cute read, but I did find the span of time that passes to be confusing. Some three years passed, measured by Bubby’s hibernation cycles. For younger readers that's not too much of an issue, but it is jarring to older readers. My cubs really enjoyed this quick read. They really loved the artwork, which is quite cute. There's even a section at the end with adult level information regarding the care of desert tortoises. I had no idea that the only place you can legally own them is Arizona!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Niña Story Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What an adorable and educational little read! This would be great for an older toddler or a child in the K-2nd grade age range; it offers a lot of information about tortoises as well as a few other animals little Bubby befriends during the events. More than anything, I positively adored the watercolor artwork. It was so gorgeous and felt so high quality!

Bobby's Puddle Pond was a great book that was not only a story of friendship and courage, but taught readers about habitat, patterns and animal relationships. After I read it, I shared it with my son who was learning about turtles and tortoises and then we shared it with his class. It was a hit. I enjoyed Bubby's Puddle Pond for all that it offered readers. Friendship, habitats, growth, change, challenge and courage.

Bubby’s Puddle Pond: A Tortuga’s Tale of the Desert
Bubby’s a turtle newly brought to a home in the desert, which despite the landscape has a pond. He makes easy friends with other animals, though I thought this story would be over before it started because the hose looked a lot like a snake!
In the space of a few pages three years take place, which is tough to understand. Other than that, it’s simple enough for little kids.
Last few pages are educational: facts on desert tortoises, including adoption rules, so on.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

This is a beautifully illustrated book! The pictures tell the story almost as well as the author does! It is a cute book about going somewhere new, meeting new friends, having new obstacles, and also about the life cycle (i.e. hibernation) of the desert tortoise. The only issue is that the story jumps rapidly from Bubby entering his new environment, meeting a wren and a bunny, hybernating, waking up and going through life all over again. It is a bit jarring without the needed transition between events. The transition does not need to be long, but it does need a bit more to make it a smoother read.
The resource guide at the end is fantastic! It gives background information about desert tortoises that could be shared prior to the story to help children understand why Bubby does what he does plus helpful questions and activities to do.

Bubby is a tiny dessert tortoise who makes many new friends
in his new home.
He stays in a burrow near the puddle pond and share his
home with Cotton, the bunny.
His friends are different animals from a Cactus wren,
a bunny, a mediterranean gecko and many such
interesting animals.
His friends increase as time passes and they form
a lovely bond.
This is a great book for someone with a pet tortoise
or who wishes to have one someday.
The book also gives an idea about how tortoise
hibernate during the winters.
A good read!

It teaches about the habitat of the Desert Tortoise and there are also information about them at the end of the book.
The story revolves around teamwork, friendship and kindness. Illustrations are great

Thanks to netgalley

Bubby's Puddle Pond was a precious delight of a children's read. Books on friendship are among my favorites for kids, and this one was exceptional. The reader will follow along as Bubby makes friends, learns to rely on them, and most importantly, learns to rely on himself. The book is filled with facts about desert tortoises, as well as a glossary of new words. At the end of the book, there is a curriculum guide. Beautiful illustrations, too! This is much more than just the average children's book.

Thank you to Carol Hageman, Nina Story Books, and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review.

Amazing book!

This book is excellent to teach children about nature preservation. This book is a good reference for parents and teachers and it can be use with children of 6-10 years old

Bubby is a desert turtle, recently adopted by Erin. The story is about Bubby meeting and becoming friends with the other inhabitants of the garden in which he now lives. One day, Bubby and his friends see a stranger in the garden. Bubby, because he has a protective shell, is nominated to investigate the stranger. He gets outside the garden gate, which at first he finds exciting. That is until the gate is shut and he is not able to get back in. No worries, there is a happy ending. The watercolor illustrations, in this readers opinion, were a perfect selection for this story. In the back of the book, there is more information on desert turtles and information on desert turtle adoption. Many of the words, in the story, are in red indicating that they will be defined at the end of the story, in the glossary. There is a curriculum guide which includes reading and writing suggestions in addition to research suggestions and a hands-on activity. This is now one of my favorite children's books. I am giving this a 5 star. Great story (with added information for teachers and parents to use to make it interactive) and beautiful illustrations.

This is a great book for early Elementary because it teaches a lot about the animals and the desert, has highlighted vocabulary words, but is also a great story about friendship.

I like the pictures, and the glossary, curriculum and craft ideas in the back. I'm unsure about the story. It just felt strange. I think kids would like it, however, and it's a great learning tool.

All it takes is that one book to grab a child's attention and imagination and create a lifetime book lover. For many early readers, Bubby's Puddle Pond could be just that book. It is a fun and entertaining story for beginning readers. With wonderful illustrations and engaging characters, children follow Bubby as he makes friends and ventures out into the world. The lessons learned about friendship and self-reliance, plus the glossary and curriculum guide in the back of the book, makes this one a great addition to a homeschool curriculum.

This is from an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.

The purchase price of this book is a little steep, but it runs to 33 pages of story and support material, and it's a fully-colored and illustrated (by Nate Jensen) book. The story is rooted in the real-life creatures resident in the Sonoran desert and additionally, a dollar of the purchase price is donated to the Arizona Game and Fish Adoption Program.

The story is based on a tortoise adopted by the author's daughter, and tells of Bubby, who settles into his new home and meets several friends: a wren, a quail, a rabbit, a small dog, and a gecko (which is actually not a native, but technically an invasive species which has spread across the world adapting to similar climes outside of its origin - rather like the rat, although geckos are not usually considered pests!).

Bubby has several adventures, not least of which is going into hibernation each winter - yes, even in Arizona, where winters can be distinctly chill (as I experienced one New Year's Eve - but the hot tub helped!). The story is sweet and easy-going with the emphasis being on friendship and the 'crises' being very minor and not scary. I recommend this for young children who enjoy nature and animal stories, and perhaps as an introduction to such stories for children who are not yet endeared to them (if there are any!).

This is sweet and endearing story. The vivid, colourful illustrations truly enhance the tale and create a warm mood. . As a teacher/librarian, this is a fun and educational book to read as you teach many topics: geography, animal habits, friendship, reliance, support... The vocabulary is rich for young children facilitating discovery of new words.

Bubby is a tortoise native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. He moves outside his solitary shoebox into an unfamiliar world, making animal friends who rely on each other for safety, comfort and companionship.
Included at the end of the book is a further learning guide. The reader learns that desert tortoises like Bubby enjoys a good soak in the water, but he must be able the get his head above water or he will drown. The tortoise likes a tight snug home. Also they tend to be solitary animals, even though Bubby made many dear friendships in his life.

Also included is how YOU can adopt your very own Desert tortoise,BUT, you must be a permanent resident of Arizona and your tortoise may outlive its owner.

This is a very well done story of a turtle who lives in the desert. He's got friends and you learn about how they live, what they eat, learn that they hibernate and more. The illustrations are very whimsical and a delight to see.

Nina Story Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can get a copy now.

Not only do you get to watch Bubby grow, you learn the names of his friends. Everyone is a desert animal of some kind. It's fun way to learn about a different part of the states and the environment there.

The author provides more info about the animals and tells you how you could rescue a turtle, too, if you live in Arizona. What an experience that would be!