Around the World: Who's Been Here?

From School Library Journal Grade 1-4-In George's In the Snow (1995), In the Woods (1995), and Around the Pond (1996, all Greenwillow), two children explore these areas and discover signs of the wildlife that inhabit them. This time, a teacher embarks on a nine-month around-the-world voyage. In letters to her science class, Miss Lewis discusses highlights of her trip and provides drawings of some of the more significant creatures she comes across, always ending by describing the traces left by a particular animal and the question, "Who's been here?" For example, she writes from Kenya about seeing "...trees from which the bark had been stripped." A turn of the page reveals a stunning, double-page gouache painting of an African elephant and her calf. While parts of this book are more text-heavy and cluttered than in the earlier titles, the large illustrations that answer the questions remain clean, lush, and inviting. The teacher's letters are replete with the names of her colleagues and guides, enhancing the air of authenticity, and the small drawings that provide details of her experiences lend texture to the work. Inset maps focus on the part of the world appropriate to each letter and a map on the endpapers shows the teacher's journey. The final page offers more detailed information about the highlighted animals. All in all, an appealing entry that children will enjoy poring over as they meet some of the world's wildlife.