In the Woods: Who's Been Here?

Exploring the autumn woods with their golden retriever, a girl and boy discover clues to recent visitors and events. A chrysalis dangling from a milkweed pod bespeaks a monarch butterfly. The bone-smooth portion of a fallen branch indicates a snowshoe hare with its gnawing teeth. Scattered feathers attest to a goshawk's attack on a blue jay. George's (the Long Pond books) gouache paintings depict the sometimes red-in-tooth-and-claw activities of woodland creatures through a softened yet highly textured photo-realism. Readers can, for example, almost feel the shriveled, stringlike leaves woven into the oriole's bag nest. As it graphically portrays the subtleties of nature's treasure house, this handsome book will likely hone youngsters' sensitivities to hidden signs of life. Illustrated endnotes add needed details to the spare text. Ages 3-up. (Apr.)