If you’ve ever wondered why it’s hard to see raccoons
at night, or why Lassie’s favorite meal didn’t include broccoli, a
new children’s book called On the Trail of Colorado
Critters can help.
“Have you ever been
hiking and seen a deer? Have you heard an owl hooting at night?
Does a woodpecker live in your backyard? Then you know that
Colorado is full of critters,” begins the book by nature writer and
zoologist Mary Taylor Young. Easy-to-read language and vivid
photographs by Wendy Shattil and Bob Rozinski create a nature guide
that is fun, yet informative.
Young attempts to
teach children proper animal-watching etiquette: “Going outdoors to
see animals is like going into someone else’s home. Remember to
respect the animals. Never shout, throw rocks, or chase them … If
you were a critter in the forest, and someone came running down the
trail, shouting and waving, what would you do? You would run away
and hide! Remember that animals are shy.”
The
book, intended for children aged 7 to 11, focuses on the birds and
mammals a beginning nature watcher is most likely to see on the
trail. Detailed sections on more than 60 animals describe their
physical traits, habitat, diet and where they can be found in
Colorado. An ecosystem guide takes the reader from grasslands to
alpine tundra, explaining how changes in elevation determine where
creatures live. The book also provides maps for critter watching
and a glossary of complex terms.
The 95-page
paperback book is $14.95 from Westcliffe Publishers. Copies are
available in bookstores and through the publisher at 800/523-3692
or www.westcliffepublishers.com.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Critter-watching etiquette.
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