WHAT IN THE WILD?

Ten riddle-poems accompany pictures of mysterious holes, bubbles, balls and mounds in the natural world, revealed to be the workings or leavings of small, sometimes familiar creatures. This third in the series of highly acclaimed books that began with Where in the Wild? (2007) offers a clever twist on the original idea. Each double-page spread features a poem on the left and a mysterious picture on the right. Lift the right-hand flap to reveal a full-bleed photograph of the creature, some smaller photos and a column of text explaining the phenomenon. Readers are addressed directly, with invitations to pick apart an owl pellet or imagine walking through a meadow and encountering a spittlebug's bubbly home. The range of animals is broad, and the poetry comes in a variety of forms. Some, like the grey squirrel’s “Skittery, scattery…” beg to be read aloud, even memorized; others, like the wavery lines of the earthworms, depend upon readers' appreciation of the shape. Suggestions for further reading, one title for each animal, conclude this inviting series of puzzles. (Informational picture book. 5-10)