Who's Been Here?: A Tale in Tracks
PreSchool-Grade 2—This question-and-answer picture book invites readers to guess which animal is nearby based on tracks in the snow. Three children follow their dog, Willy, out for a run on a winter's day; the action takes place inside a frame of sticks on each page, with a close-up view of the tracks in the borders. The children encounter the prints of a cat, turkey, fox, raccoon, rabbit, deer, moose, bear, and skunk. This last animal has an unfortunate encounter with Willy, leading to a humorous ending. Though the overall concept and visual palette are similar to Lindsay Barrett George'sIn the Snow(HarperCollins, 1995), the focus here is entirely on tracks instead of various signs of animal life. Hayes's watercolors evoke the frosty air of a winter wood, and Hodgkins's simple, repetitive text allows readers to be a part of the story. With multiple curriculum connections and a style perfect for group sharing, this book is ideal for classrooms or storytimes.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MDCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.