By Lakes and Rivers

Christine Linge is a past director of the Toronto & District Parent
Co-operative Preschool Corporation, a freelance writer, and a bookseller
specializing in children’s literature.

This four-volume “animal trackers” series invites the reader to
“be an animal detective.” With their sturdy construction, heavy
semi-gloss paper, and square shape (ideal for small hands), these
volumes will survive repeated consultations, even during field trips.

Each volume describes 10 to 12 animals (mammals, birds, fish, and
amphibians) that typically occupy one particular habitat. In Woods and
Forest describes creatures (like the magpie and the squirrel) that
“find their food, eating leaves and berries,” and those that hunt or
eat garbage (weasels and raccoons). In In Fields and Meadows, we
discover the shy animals who use camouflage (the pronghorn) and
underground dens (prairie dog, mole) to hide in the wide, empty spaces.
By Lakes and Rivers features animals that must remain in the water
(salmon and trout) and those who “stay close to the water’s edge”
(otters and swans). In At the Seashore, we are introduced to creatures
who live on the shore (crabs and cormorants) and those who “spend
their lives in the sea” (grey whale and sea turtle).

Excellent color illustrations complement the succinct and highly
informative text. The captions for the many illustrations begin with
witty “headlines” (the coyote’s howls are the “Family
Sing-along”) that will serve as natural mnemonics for the copious
amount of information on each animal.

In keeping with the animal-tracker theme, the footprints or other marks
of each animal are pictured, along with other clues such as their wing
position in flight, sounds of their calls or cries, type of droppings,
and appearance of the den or nest. Drawings of the animals’ paws or
feet are used as decorative sidebars on each page, reinforcing the
“tracker” theme while adding a warm personal touch: these strange
appendages, all similar yet different, are not unlike our own hands and
feet. Highly recommended.