Lisa Morlock

Finn and her hound dog Skeeter head into the woods in this rhyming exploration of animal tracks and scat (i.e.: feces). As she bounds along, Finn is continually putting her new boots into a different kind of scat, but nothing daunted, she continues on her way. Each scat-stepping episode is accompanied by a factual aside about the animal that left the droppings, from rabbits to geese, raccoons to foxes...

Track That Scat! was author Lisa Morlock's debut picture-book, and appears thus far to be her only published title. It features a fun read-aloud text about a very un-squeamish little girl and her dog, as well as some interesting information about a variety of common North American animals. The accompanying artwork from Carrie Anne Bradshaw is cute, although just a smidgeon too cartoon-like for my taste, when it comes to a work of natural history. Although this one was fun enough, and could work as a first introduction to these animals and their tracks and scat, for very young children, I think there are better animal track books out there, such as Jim Arnosky's Crinkleroot's Book of Animal Tracks and Wildlife Signs or Mia Posada's Who Was Here?: Discovering Wild Animal Tracks (in whose bibliography I found this title from Morlock). On the other hand, this one includes scat, which will undoubtedly appeal to children's enjoyment of potty humor. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for animal scat/track titles for younger children.… (mais)