Baby Einstein Who Lives in the Pond by Julie Aigner-Clark (2003, Paperback)

There are several Baby Einstein board books - they receive top ratings for the actual concept of a splash proof, floating book that can be enjoyed in and out of the bath! However where the other title I reviewed, Mimi's toes, recieved top marks for its simple rhymes, repetition that prompts a child to join in with the story and delightful text - this book quite frankly puzzles me!
It could have been a great story and / or rhyme about pond life; however, there is no real story at all...sure we have a little tadpole that explores his surroundings and meets various pond life along the way....but the text jumps all over the place with no pattern , no rhyming and it is neither fun to read or enjoyable for a young child to listen too!!
Then there are the creatures he sees - a duck okay, fish yes....but a Salamander....come on, if this is a simple board book why not stick to simple recognizable creatures. Perhaps life we may see on a local pond, and words that are simple so a child might be able to repeat them.....Salamander is not one such word! There is alos a lot of word play, so a child is never going to be able to repeat this story as is the case with the other publication - Mimi's toes!!
This is a great idea, but the writing fails to delight!! It had so many possibilities but for us, this is not a winner!