Arnosky has written so many stellar nature and animal nonfiction picture books, including charmers about an old coot named Crinkleroot, no longer in print, alas. In this information-packed guide to animal tracks, with striking paintings done in pencil and acrylic, he identifies the tracks, actual size, of hoofed mammals, bears, small mammals, felines, canines, reptiles, and birds. Readers will especially love the four gatefolded pages that open up into three panels showcasing comparative sizes of each family's tracks. Accompanying pencil drawings show the parts of an animal's hoof or foot, plus the differences in the footprints made when walking versus running. The biggest tracks are from bears, with the polar bear having the largest bear feet of all.
Readers will want to go outside and look for tracks, that's for sure. Arnosky makes naturalists of us all. The author bio on the back flap notes that this is Arnosky's 100th book for children.
Reviewed by JF.
THEMES: ANIMALS. NATURE.
- With this book’s large format and simple organizational structure, Arnosky’s latest trek into the world of North American wildlife makes a terrific beginning field guide.
- Booklist