Animal tracks always tell a story. You just have to recognize the signs. As you follow the marks an animal left behind, you get to know it: where it goes, what it likes to eat, when it runs, and why. There are secrets to be learned in those signs in the snow, mysteries to be explored in the mud along the river’s edge.

Tracks in the Wild introduces young naturalists to the tracks of bears, wolves, moose, otters, and other wild animals—thirteen in all. Betsy Bowen’s signature woodcut prints accompany poetic passages about each animal, along with life-size representations of their footprints. As it reveals some of the wonders of the natural world, it will also inspire awe and respect for all the wild, elusive creatures that inhabit Minnesota’s northwoods.

Winner of a 1994 Minnesota Book Award, Tracks in the Wild is perfect reading for a family to share before and after a trek through their own woods.