“A celebration of all the wild animals secretly, stubbornly, and triumphantly winding through our cities, suburbs, and countryside. Award-winning nature writer Sharman Apt Russell urges us to “Slow down, look, and really see” the tracks and sign of wildlife in North America-from mountain lions to pocket mice-with a call to both celebrate and protect our wild relations. A slow walk, stop, bend down, look: four dainty toes, a suggestion of fur, and that wavy line at the bottom of the palm pad. A gray fox passed this way. Over here: four teardrop toes, middle toe extended past the other middle toe, big track with a palm pad more than two inches long. Mountain lion, possibly male. This weird squiggle? A darkling beetle. A sinuous curve with smudges on either side? Some kind of lizard. Russell looks primarily at the tracks of mammals, telling stories about her own relationship with these animals, successfully naming them Western gray squirrel or white-tailed deer, and thereby connecting with the nonhuman world. The manuscript is divided into chapters based on types of animals: for example, domestic dogs, coyotes, foxes, wolves, mountain lions, skunks, bears, rabbits, raccoons, and several others. There is also a short chapter on skulls and bones. This should appeal to readers of books about nature, animals, conservation, and the environment. It’s an introduction meant for readers perhaps before they buy their first field guide. Specifically this book is about living in place, our engagement with the physical world, and our connection to all living things. Importantly, learning to identify the track and sign of animals is a skill open to a range of age groups and physical ability.”– Provided by publisher.
