ANIMAL TRACKS AND TRACES
by Kathleen V. Kudlinski & illustrated by Mary Morgan
Over-sweet use of color and a coy tone limit the appeal of this book on tracks, castings, and nests. Children are challenged to guess which animals left ``sloppy clues'' like an owl pellet, deer tracks, or feathers—but the drawings lack size references, and an owl pellet is shown as ten times the size of the deer track. Butterfly wings are referred to as ``dirty clothes'' left by the insect. The reader is invited to take nature walks, observe, and make collections of such items as snake skins and spider webs. Pretty, but not as useful as older titles like Mason's Animal Tracks (1943, 1988). Glossary; index.~(Nonfiction. 8-12)