Tracks in the Snow

by: Wong Herbert Yee

Published by: Square Fish: Henry Holt and Company

Reviewed by Patty Inglish

The front cover illustration of Tracks in the Snow shows a small child bundled up in the winter snowscape, with a friendly squirrel and blackbird in attendance and a small fox coming out of the evergreens to play. There are soft snow tracks all around, the kind made by tiny boots in a fresh soft, cottony snow that has fallen during a winter’s day that is not too cold, but pleasant and invigorating.

The child in the story goes outside with her animal friends and searches among fresh snow tracks for the maker of these footsteps. She wonders whom she will find at their end. The soft illustrations provide a comfortable setting for the story and a feeling of safety and happiness. Blackbird, squirrel and fox accompany her on her searching, but she simply cannot find the animal that has made those footprints in the fresh snow. Blackbird seems to coach her onward, and may be laughing a bit as well, with his upraised wings, like a cheerleader.

The tiny girl does not find the maker of the tracks, but she does find a lost mitten that matches her own scarf. Blackbird accompanies her all the way home as a light snowfall begins and reaches the afternoon time of tea and cookies. Following the same tracks back to the house, the young girl finally realizes that it is she who made the tracks in yesterday’s fresh snow.

Young children will enjoy this tale of safe adventure and discovery on one’s own, with animal companions and an afternoon snack at the end. Having a snack at the end of a quiet reading time of this story with a parent or older sibling would be a delightful touch.

Armchair Interviews says: A story that gives children a feeling of safety.