(2) K-3 Illustrated by Todd Stewart. "Listen! / Lake Superior / sings a winter song." Getting all bundled up, two children set off early on a cold morning to go ice skating. Fog rises from mysterious Superior, and along the way they find wolf tracks, but the older sibling can tell that the tracks are old, a "story" written in the snow. Canadian author Pendziwol writes evocatively about the immense and imposing lake and the sounds the ice makes vibrating under the children's feet as they skate: "mysterious magical music / as old as the earth... / We join the song, / skating / on the wild ice / of a vast / inland sea." (She also makes sure to mention that the ice on the lake is very thick.) Illustrator Stewart uses a range of blues and greens, from the intense turquoise of the frozen lake to a chilly blue against the snowy whites. His technique of drawing digitally, editing in Photoshop, and adding textures with scanned screens gives the book a vibrant and often majestic feel, ending with a wolf looking straight at the reader.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) PS This playful wordless picture book invites children to deduce from the shape and placement of footprints what is happening. The title page gives just a glimpse of a dark-haired child in bed, but from that point on we see only where the child has gone, following their small footprints getting out of bed, switching to slippers, heading to the bathroom, and so on. Muller's gouache, colored-pencil, and graphite pictures show a ­European-style house, blending clean, organized surroundings with pops of color and pattern but leaving room for a small child's little messes as they move around. The child is joined by something with paw prints, whose identity is hinted at by a leash hanging near the door as the pair heads outside into the snow. There's something to enjoy or wonder about on each double-page spread, such as the paw prints going around in circles, or the addition of a puddle of yellow in the snow after they have stopped by a tree; we also see others--birds, a horse, a duck, etc.--each with their own distinctive prints. Humor and imagination have free rein in this cozy and engrossing book.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) PS Illustrated by Jennifer Faria. This sweetly unassuming picture book is simultaneously a small wintertime adventure, a story of a loving intergenerational friendship, and an animal-identification book incorporating both English and Ojibwemowin vocabulary. On a snowy day, a very young boy and his grandfather take a walk in the woods across from their home. On their walk, they encounter a black bird. Grandpa introduces the bird first in English as "Raven" and then in Ojibwemowin as "Gaagaagi." The pattern is repeated with "Rabbit" ("Waabooz") and "Deer" ("Waawaashkeshi"). As they walk, the boy and Grandpa make tracks in the snow, comparing them with the animal tracks they see. Their encounters with the woods' wildlife are interspersed with moments demonstrating the warm relationship between the two. At book's end, they head home for milk and cookies and a nap. Acrylic and colored-pencil illustrations vividly portray the snowy landscape as well as the boy and grandfather's home; the bright yellow living room filled with mementos radiates love and warmth. ­Endpapers helpfully label the three ­animals with their English and Ojibwemowin names; the Ojibwemowin names are also spelled phonetically.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2021

(1) PS Milo's mother is too busy to read him a story, so the boy reluctantly heads out to play in the snow. Under the bird feeder near their house, he sees the footprints of a mouse and follows them. He stops at a winterberry, notices that its berries are all gone, and finds a single feather atop the shrub ("What had happened here?"). Following the footprints into the forest, he sees branches from a hemlock tree on the ground ("Why have they fallen like autumn leaves?"). By the time his mother calls him in for dinner, Milo has found loose clods of dirt (perhaps animals were digging for acorns), mysterious smooth runs in the snow leading down to a creek, a spot where the mouse's footprints were disturbed ("Had the bird calling in the distance swooped to the snow?"), and finally a small hole in the ground leading, he posits, to the mouse's home. Back in his own home, Milo's mother offers to read him some stories after dinner, but Milo refuses: "'This time,' he said, 'I have stories for you.'" Words and pictures work together to tell a taut and just-right-for-the-audience suspenseful tale. Mixed-media illustrations evoke the majesty of the wintry landscape but keep the focus on Milo's--and the mouse's--small journey. Young viewers will enjoy doing some noticing of their own: details such as a berry dropped by a cedar waxwing that the mouse brings back to its mate make the book even more satisfying. Endpapers label all the creatures featured--and even there, viewers may have to look closely to find them all.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by François Thisdale. After Uncle scares cousins Tom and Will with the story of the Windigo (known to Anishinaabe peoples as the night spirit of winter), they follow what they think are its tracks; instead they find a young moose trapped in the snow and help to free it. Subdued-color art with hidden animal tracks evokes the dark, north-country winter setting in this not-too-scary Anishinaabe tale of respect for nature.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(2) K-3 Bowen's enthusiasm for the wild world around her energizes the one-page description of each of thirteen animals found in the northwoods of Minnesota. Quotes about nature from various well-known Native American leaders accompany the text; lovingly executed, hand-colored woodblock prints capture the graceful lines of each animal's body and habitat. A perfect book for sharing before and after a hike in the woods.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1993

(3) 4-6 Go Wild series. Illustrated by Eva Sassin. After (the same) one-page overview including safety tips, each volume offers directions for outdoorsy or nature-themed activities such as mapmaking, rope tricks, animal tracking, and building snow shelters. A variety of text fonts, jazzy design features, and colorful cartoon illustrations keep things moving. A "Did You Know?" fact page concludes each book. This series will greatly appeal to young outdoor adventurers. Ind. Review covers these Go Wild titles: Be a Survivor, Be a Tracker, Be an Adventurer, and Be an Explorer.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) K-3 Yogi Bear's Guide to the Great Outdoors series. Illustrated by Christian Cornia. The cartoon bear teaches sidekick Boo Boo about animal tracks in Jellystone Park. Photos of tracks accompany the ho-hum text, which is generally informative. On the page, the characters lack the appeal they have in the original TV cartoon. A related activity and critical thinking questions are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) K-3 Life-size animal tracks pressed into mud, snow, and sand represent ten animals from around the world: wolf, red kangaroo, beaver, camel, horned viper, and others. The well-paced interactive text blends rhymed queries with vivid nonfiction narratives about each animal's physical characteristics and habitat. Engaging watercolor and collage illustrations nicely evoke each natural setting. "Clues to look for" are appended. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(3) K-3 Penguin Young Readers series. Illustrated by Lisa McCue. In their eighth encounter, muskrat Cork and possum Fuzz explore a snow-covered landscape; Fuzz is more daring than his friend, but the resolution is safe and satisfying. Recognizable vocabulary, manageable sentences, and plenty of opportunities to predict outcomes provide pre-chapter-book readers with a comfortable independent reading adventure. McCue's textured illustrations of the critters inject warmth into the wintry scenes.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Carrie Anne Bradshaw. Hiking with her dog Skeeter, Finn follows tracks and steps in scat (droppings) of various animals (the effects of which grossly linger on her new boots). The design utilizes format effectively: Finn's findings are told in lame rhyming verse, while a page turn reveals what left the traces and facts about that animal's behavior--and poop. Exaggerated illustrations suit the peppy narration.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Adapted by Julie Tibbott. George enjoys taking photographs of animal tracks. When he mistakenly identifies dinosaur tracks, he rushes to warn his friend Bill. Based on the PBS show, this slight story relies on the glossy color pictures and the appeal of the Curious George character. Instructions for making plaster casts of animal tracks are appended.

Reviewer: Sheila M. Geraty

(4) K-3 Amicus Readers: Our Animal World series. These books take a superficial look at one characteristic shared by several random animals. Large close-up photographs show each animal in its environ. Two or three easy-to-read sentences per double-page spread offer a bit of information. Appended are a quiz and "Ideas for Parents and Teachers," providing context and activities for applying knowledge. Websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Amicus Readers: Our Animal World titles: Animal Homes, Animal Tracks, How Animals Hide, Spiny Animals, Tiny Animals, and Who Lays Eggs?.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Karel Hayes. Three children follow golden retriever Willy into the snowy outdoors, seeing not only his paw prints but also those of animals he's tracked. Delicate illustrations of a snow-covered forest include accurate animal tracks and woodsy borders. The spare text uses repetition effectively in this book for nature lovers.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) K-3 Tired of being impugned, Wolf writes a story about a nice wolf who follows footprints hoping to befriend their maker. Upon finding a tasty-looking duck, Wolf's protagonist almost loses control. This story within a story is cleverly illustrated with entertaining pictures. The book ends with an unanswered question (who left the real footprints outside Wolf's door?), which may confuse readers.

Reviewer: Rebecca Reed Whidden

(3) 4-6 Scientists in the Field series. Photographs by Susan C. Morse. The text follows habitat ecologist Susan Morse on a trek through a Vermont forest to find evidence of wildlife. There are bear claw marks on trees, antler rubs, footprints, and scat to interpret. Morse shares tracking techniques and encourages readers to try them, cautioning them not to disturb animals. The text is immediate and conversational, with excellent supporting photographs. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Hilary Breed Van Dusen

(2) PS "Just outside my window, / There are tracks in the snow. / Who made the tracks? / Where do they go?" A young girl heads out into the woods by her home to follow the tracks, only realizing upon returning home that the footprints are her own, made the day before. The simple rhyming text encourages chanting along; Yee's colored-pencil illustrations are meticulously drawn.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2003

(2) 4-6 Helpful information on planning outdoor experiences is woven through four chapters filled with detailed sketches of bugs, animal tracks, birds, and the plants and animals at the water's edge. The book's annotated descriptions introduce readers to the conventions of plant and animal classification and infuse the text with Arnosky's friendly encouragement. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2002

(2) K-3 The brother and sister from Stella and Roy embark on a camping trip with their mother--Stella equipped with a book on animal footprints, Roy with a new flashlight. They are so busy identifying animal tracks that they miss all the animals hiding in the underbrush or on rock croppings--but the delighted viewer won't. Wolff's distinctively bold pictures glow with the bright, clear colors of the Sierra Nevada.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 1999

(2) K-3 Bowen's guide to North Woods animals now features a cleaner, more open look, with an easier-to-read typeface and vibrant, newly colored woodblock prints. White borders around the art add contrast, and the pages of text, having lost the colored borders from the original edition, better showcase the life-sized animal tracks below the text. Sources for the quotes, mostly from Native Americans, are now included.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1993