Ages 4-7. William and Cammy, the siblings who took us through the snow and into the woods in two previous books, are again our guides. This time, we follow them down a path along a pond. A page of text discusses clues left by an unseen animal, ending with the question, "Who's been here?" The opposite page presents the information in visual form, with the follow-up double-page spread revealing the animal in a beautifully rendered gouache painting. Some clues, such as the children's discovery of a dam, are obvious. Others, such as "a large, gray feather," are almost impossible to guess. The guessing aspect that children find so much fun will, of course, be greatly diminished after the first reading, but the spectacular lifelike paintings invite repeated examination. Another superb installment in a unique series. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1996)0688143768Lauren Peterson

PreS-K‘An introduction to eight different wild creatures that live near or in ponds. Following the same format she used in In the Woods and In the Snow (both Greenwillow, 1995), George creates a guessing game for two children taking a walk in a natural area. Here, the youngsters set out to pick blueberries for pie, but they are soon distracted by the telltale signs they see and items they find along an old deer path around a pond. With each discovery, they ask "Who's been here?" Turning the page provides the answer‘viewers will find a brilliant gouache painting of the animal, fish, or bird in its natural habitat. There is a brief note on each creature at the end. A few quibbles‘the wood duck's nest is so high in the tree that it is doubtful children could see into it (but readers have a wonderful bird's-eye view); the heron's body is shown but not the distinctive long legs; and it's not clear whether the river otter has running water to swim in. Flaws aside, the large detailed paintings and the brief text make this a lovely book to share with children as an introduction to animal life and to tracking.‘Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

As Cammy and William search for blueberries, they encounter abundant signs of wildlife in the area, such as a footprint in the mossy ground, discarded mussel shells, and a feather in the pond. Each animal is revealed in realistic, double-page gouache paintings. The large trim size and simple text lend themselves to sharing with young nature enthusiasts. Information about the featured animals is included at the back. From HORN BOOK 1996, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.