Tracks in the Wild

Bowen's follow-up to her environmentally inspired Antler, Bear, Canoe again focuses on the author's beloved home in the Minnesota northwoods. This time out she provides facts, observations and insights about the creatures that live and consequently make tracks near her house; she also supplies suggestions for how to track various forms of wildlife. Each spread consists of a rustic woodblock print of an animal accompanied by a detail of the creature's tracks and a paragraph of information. Occasionally an appropriate quote--often from a Native American--is also included. Bowen's tone is sometimes a bit too introspective--``A sense of animals' presence on the earth is important to me as a part of feeling connected to all things''--but the personal anecdotes also lend an air of authenticity. Her bold prints, which starkly contrast thick black against icy blues and whites, offer a moving and dramatic interpretation of the natural world. All ages. (Sept.)