FICTION

Track That Scat!

by Lisa MORLOCK
Track That Scat! illus. by Carrie Anne Bradshaw. 32p. CIP. Sleeping Bear. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-536-4. LC 2011028148.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—If the need arises to teach children how to identify wild animal scat, start with this picture book. A simple story in rhyme introduces Finn and her dog, Skeeter, as they track wild creatures through the woods surrounding their house. "Finn slows below a chickadee/that's singing in a maple tree./The bird takes flight. Finn feels a splat./New boots are blotched by songbird scat." Invariably, she steps in the scat each creature has left behind. Three paragraphs about each animal, among them a Canada goose and raccoon, offer facts, including a description of its sounds and the shape of its tracks and scat. The large spreads are inviting, and the dog, a basset hound, is cute, cute, cute, and the gross factor is likely to draw kids in.—Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover, AL
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.
Reviewed by Stephanie Farnlacher , May 01, 2012

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