Forest Tracks

In this lively follow-up to Barnyard Tracks, animal tracks and sounds are the clues readers must use to identify various woodland creatures. ""Look! I see some animal tracks,"" says the narrator, as hoofprints trail across the page. ""Listen! I hear crackle snap.... Who's there?"" Turn the page and a majestic buck crashes through the underbrush. The same pattern proceeds throughout, as the reader discovers a raccoon (""splash""), a woodpecker (""rat-a-tat-tat"") and, in one humorous spread, all manner of frantic-looking tracks indicating the presence of a skunk. Finally, tire tracks show that even the trusty forest ranger is heading for home. Duffy's text, though exclamatory, reads like an urgent whisper, as one might speak to avoid startling the wild creatures. The animal sounds stand out in enlarged type in contrasting colors. Marshall's cut-paper illustrations are deeply hued, sharply detailed and, in their stylized allusions to flora and fauna, redolent of forest life. Ages 2-5. (May)