Track That Scat! (Hardcover)

When Finn and her dog Skeeter set out on a hike to cure their restless feet, they literally take a step into nature. A big gooey step...right into scat (also known as poop). And just like the animal it comes from, scat comes in all shapes and sizes. Scat, along with foot or paw tracks, can tell a lot about the creature who produced it. As Finn's hike takes her further into the woods, she happens along some scat and tracks from a variety of woodland creatures. Pairing punchy rhyme with science writing, Lisa Morlock has created the perfect nature guide, providing detailed descriptions of the prints, diets, and behaviors of the animals that Finn and Skeeter encounter along their hike. Watch your step!

Alabama Camellia Award 2-3 Division, Short-listed, 2014

NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Books for Students K-12 List, Short-listed, 2013

Booklist

For young Finn and her hound, Skeeter, exploring the outdoors becomes a somewhat pungent adventure and a vehicle to introduce readers to identifying commonly known animals through their tracks and, particularly, droppings. From the onset, the pair encounters—and sometimes steps in—a progression of animal excrement: “With one trip-slip, Finn’s foot goes splat. Oh no! Right into . . . rabbit scat!” Further encounters include goose, raccoon, and bird poop. Back at home, Finn’s nose-pinching mom discovers the source of the horrendous smell: Finn’s footwear. This picture book’s bouncy rhymes, humor and puns, and colorful, cartoonish illustrations keep things on the lighter side. Straightforward supplemental information on each animal relates characteristics and behaviors while also further detailing track traits and scat habits. The squeamish might balk at times (rabbits “eat their own poop”; skunk scat can have “insect wings, legs, and other parts sticking out”), and some may wonder why Finn doesn’t become more observant about where she treads. A preface includes definitions of the word scat.

Publishers Weekly

Stepping in animal poop is rarely cause for celebration, but it is for a girl named Finn in a story that invokes not one, not two, but three meanings of the word “scat.” On a wildlife walk with her basset hound, Finn introduces her brand-new sneakers to a potpourri of animal scat: “Three-toed web prints grouped together./ Nearby floats a long tail feather./ With one trop-plop, Finn’s foot goes splat./ Oh no! She steps into… goose scat!” Morlock describes each animal’s habits and excrement in (extremely) detailed paragraphs: “Rabbits eat their own poop. When the scat comes out the first time, it’s in soft, moist pellets.” In addition to Bradshaw’s more fancifully painted spreads, the animals’ tracks and scat are depicted as they might appear in an animal identification guide. Nature-minded readers who are more careful than Finn about watching where they step will find plenty of information about what animals leave on the forest floor. Ages 4–8.