This was such a good book. Highly recommend it especially if you've ever had to move with your children. I will be reading this to my kids again in the future. I loved the stories and the artwork.

What a sweet story about friendship and family in the midst of big changes. When a little boy has to move away from his friends, he finds new companions in the ducks that live in the pond nearby. His mom warns him not to get too attached because the ducks will leave for the winter. When the ducks leave, the little boy find new friendship in someone that has been there all along. A great reminder that even though things change, you will always have family to lean on. The illustrations are beautiful and the story has a great message. I like that the ending gives information about what is okay to feed to ducks, because you know kids will want to do that themselves after reading about it.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. When a new family moves in, the little boy misses his friends. When he comes upon a lovely pond filled with ducks, he befriends them. He visits them every day and is sad when they fly south.

“But why can’t they stay if we just give them lots of snacks?” My 5-year-olds had this major realization while we were reading Landing in a New Pond by Marisa Ramel. They wanted to fix the migration problem with a winter-long duck buffet! Well, I can't fault that logic! :D

Landing in a New Pond is such a tender look at big transitions, such as moving into a new home, changing schools and so on. It follows a young boy navigating the "newness" of a different home, using the ducks in his pond as an analogy for his feelings. Big emotions with gentle prose and gorgeous illustrations, you bet my 5 year olds will flip till the last page. We did a deep-ish dive into seasonal migration and why the nature's waterproof thermal wear for ducks - their down feathers - is much better an option than sweaters for our birds friends. ( "Would you like to go swimming in your sweater?" I asked them. ) While we did have rational discussion around the whys and whats of seasonal migration, we did come back at the end to the theme of not liking change. They recently loved their playdate with their cousin so much, that they didn't want to come home. We talked about that too. Gentle, soothing and relatable. We think you might like this one too!

Landing in a New Pond follows a young boy who just moved with his family. Struggling to connect with his younger sibling, he finds friendship with the forty ducks living near his new home. The story is relatable to anyone who has ever experienced change-- So, just about everyone. Adults and children alike.

The illustrations and font are fun and engaging. It is somewhat sad, but the message itself is positive. When a change makes you feel out of place, it is important to lean on your family.

I would recommend this title to children struggling with a move or big change. I could also see it working in a sibling-based story time at the library.

My only complaint was that I wasn't sure who Sebastian and Madeleine were. I think they are the young boy's old friends, but that isn't written out. But honestly, that might just be a me issue!