Coyotes in the Crosswalk: Wildlife in Canadian CIties

Joan Buchanan is a writing instructor and storyteller, and the author of
Taking Care of My Cold! and The Nana Rescue.

Diane Swanson uses straightforward, descriptive writing in this
relevant, easy-to-handle book. After an introduction explaining how
animals adapt to city life, Coyotes in the Crosswalks features a 6-page
chapter on each of 10 animals: Chapters are then divided into sections
that describe some of the characteristics of each animal, for example,
loyalties within Canada geese families. Other topics include the
peregrine falcon’s city nesting habits, a starling mimicking a dog’s
bark or a cat’s meow, and the brown rat giving birth to 45 to 55
babies every year. Inset boxes state curious facts, such as “Some in
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan love the stink that skunks produce!” Thorough
indexing simplifies specific research.

Douglas Penhale’s finely detailed, richly textured pencil drawings of
animals are very realistic. By contrast, segments of some of the
drawings with people in them are stiff.

On the whole, this informative, attractive source book will enable
urban children to appreciate the wildlife next door. Highly recommended.