With a simple text and vivid full-color photographs, this book shows children a wide range of nature's exquisite designs. It invites children to open their eyes and look for patterns in water and on land, in the air and on the ground, and in their own neighborhoods.

I loved this book. This book sparked several conversations among my students when I read it to them during circle time.
The book has brief text, only a few words per page. It begins with a very simple definition of a pattern: "Patterns are lines and shapes that repeat". Each page displays beautiful photos of patterns found in nature, mostly on animals (scales, fur, etc.). The book talks about how patterns can tell us about how much something has grown (like sunflowers and tree trunks), patterns can be straight/curvy, etc. Each picture is very crisp and colorful. I had trouble getting through the read aloud because my students were enamored by each and every photo. I told them they would have a chance to look at the book themselves during center time, and they did very well. This book covers content that we've been going over for the past few months. This group has been particularly focused on weather, plants, life cycles, animals, and rocks; nature in general. They like talking about how bees and butterflies have long tongues that help them suck up nectar, how the sun dries up the rain, the difference between "sunny day clouds" and "thunderhead clouds".
The text is clearly typed and is great for children who are beginning to play read, or read. They can point to each word and sound it out or just pretend to read because the text is not printed within pictures.
There were a few pictures that confused a few of my students, such as the pond photo. There are green and red/yellow lily pads pictured, but not in a line the way one might expect. One of my students asked me where the pattern was, and I prompted him to look closer at the design in each leaf.
I especially liked the interactive nature of this book. The book suggests that readers look for patterns in their surroundings and in their lunch snacks, which is relatable for the children. The book ends by asking if patterns can be found in vegetables, flowers, insects, etc. This book of erred a great opportunity to move away from teacher-made patterns and more towards patterns that can be found in nature. I found that children were far more interested in learning and talking about patterns when they were distracted by their high level of interest in the vibrant photos.

Patterns can be found in nature, more than some people realize. This book gives many examples of patterns in nature, from animals, bugs, plants, fruit and so much more. ( )

Retelling: This book uses photographs and simple sentences to emphasize the role that patterns play in making nature beautiful.

Thoughts and Feelings: It would be very interesting to discuss why these photographs are patterns, given the definition of the pattern (something (color, shape, size) that repeats at least twice). I wonder if students could name the core of these patterns. It would be very difficult. The only picture that bothers me is the rainbow. Rainbows are only a pattern because every rainbow has the same sequence of colors, and the photograph in this book only has one rainbow in the picture. Students often try to claim that things are patterns and they can't find anywhere that their "pattern" repeats.

This book is written in Spanish and English. The Spanish story appears at the top of the book and the English story is below the pictures. It is a book about patterns. It shows the many places patterns and some of the unusual places they can be found.

I was surprised by the many places patterns can be found. Many of these places I hadn't even thought of. It's an excellent book for a bilingual teacher or parent. It is also a great book to have available to students during Spanish heritage month.

Students could make their own patterns with colors on paper. A trip to the zoo to look for different patterns on animals would be wonderful to continue this book in the classroom.