Backyard Explorer

This journal-style activity book encourages children to take a closer look at their immediate surroundings, whether they live in the city, country, or in between. Small-scale, writing-focused projects emphasize "recording" what one sees: the view out a window, animal life observed while sitting still for 15 minutes, and the local weather over one month's time ("Add a sad or smiley face to show how the weather made you feel"). Gently textured cartoons, colored in muted blues and greens, give the book a clean, fresh look, and there's plenty of room for children to note their thoughts and observations (one spread even encourages them to tape in found leaves). While readers with actual backyards or ready access to nature will get the most out of the book, the underlying messages about attentiveness to one's environment have broad applications. Ages 8%E2%80%9312. (Apr.)