It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday in the middle of April, right before Easter, so guess what kind of book I chose for today?
If you guessed something with a bunny. . .
. . . you’re wrong!
Let’s go to the beach! 😊
Title: Sandy Feet! Whose Feet?: Footprints at the Shore
Written By: Susan Wood
Illustrated By: Steliyana Doneva
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, April 15, 2019
Suitable For Ages: 5-8
Themes/Topics: nature, identifying tracks, ecology
text copyright Susan Wood 2019, illustration copyright Steliyana Doneva 2019, Sleeping Bear Press
Opening:
“Sandy feet,
on the beach,
make prints in the sand.
Digging feet,
furry, friendly,
Wet dog licks your hand.”
text copyright Susan Wood 2019, illustration copyright Steliyana Doneva 2019, Sleeping Bear Press
Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “When a family spends a day at the beach, the children investigate various footprints to see what type of creatures live along the shoreline. Rhyming text turns a sandy beach into an outdoor classroom. The tracks and habits of local wildlife, including hopping sandpipers, scuttling crabs, and burrowing turtles, are identified and explained for young ecology detectives. Even Daddy’s feet make an appearance! And at day’s end, it’s time for tired feet to make their way home. STEM-based back matter includes information on how clues like footprints can identify the type of wildlife inhabiting any given habitat.”
text copyright Susan Wood 2019, illustration copyright Steliyana Doneva 2019, Sleeping Bear Press
Links To Resources: the book includes wonderful back matter about the characteristics and behaviors of the different species whose tracks are in the book; go outside wherever you live and see what kind of tracks you can see – even in the city you may find different kinds of birds, dogs and cats, and a lot of different shoe prints if you’re near a park or if you have snow 😊; stand on a piece of paper and trace your own footprint – what does it look like?
text copyright Susan Wood 2019, illustration copyright Steliyana Doneva 2019, Sleeping Bear Press
Why I Like This Book: Set against the backdrop of a lovely family day at the beach, this book allows kids to be “ecology detectives”, examining many different kinds of footprints you might see in the sand. Animals from dogs to sandpipers to crabs, turtles and more are pictured in their natural habitat so that young readers can see what they look like, where they live, and what kind of footprints they leave behind. At the end of the day the family heads home, leaving a beach covered in footprints that tell the tale of the day. Simple, fun, and informative with a nice section at the end with further information on all the animals from the book. A nice choice for the ecology detectives at your house. 😊
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊
Susanna Leonard Hill 
I like this book because it’s a concept, once learned, can be used anywhere. I became an ecology detective in New Paltz, New York and it was so much fun. Yes, even at my age. It’s a wonderful group activity. Thank you for sharing this book. ♥️
New Paltz is not that far from me, Robin! I am not very good at identifying tracks, but I love to try. We get all kinds of things in mud and snow 🙂
Hi Susanna,
it was a hike at Mohonk! ♥️
Oh, cool! I’ve hiked there, too! It’s beautiful, isn’t it?!
Susanna, I adore beaches and looking for footprints in my yard, nearby trails, etc., so I find this book amazing. I love the illustrations. Can’t say I have ever seen the tracks of a starfish/ Thank you for the introduction. I have iton hold and can’t wait to see the rest of it.
I have never seen starfish tracks either, Maria! But who knows? Maybe this will be the year! 🙂
Oh how fun – and totally relatable for lots of kids. Thanks for pointing it out.
I know, Robin! Isn’t it a great idea for a book? We all see tracks – in sand, snow, mud, dirt – and it’s fun to try to tell who was there before you!
I loved this kind of book when I was a kid. I lived in the country near creeks and ponds and visited my grandparents on their farms, so there were lot of animal tracks to investigate!
I’m sure there were, Brenda! I am not the world’s best at identifying, but it’s fun to try!
Love this, Susanna! So often we only think of looking for prints in other ecosystems. It’s good to expand that thinking. And the illustrations transport me to the beach immediately. This is wonderful! Thanks for the rec!
It’s not quite beach weather in April where I live, Jilanne, but it’s fun to dream about summer, and so fun to imagine looking for these tracks when we take the littles to the beach!
Love the idea of being “ecology detectives!” Thanks, Susanna, for the recommendation!
I love that idea, too, Hilary!
PPBF! The beach is a perfect place to search for footprints! I think the readers will want to expand their search to other places as well! 🐾👣
I think so, too, Susan!
Makes me wanna get sand between my toes!
Me, too, Jules! One of my daughters is keeping a countdown of how many days until we’re at the beach, but I’ve lost track 🙂
I love beach footprints…what a great idea for a book. The starfish tracks are especially cool!
I agree, Susan! I’ve seen most of the others, but not starfish!
All of those marvelous little feet, leaving a story on the beach. I love this story and can’t wait to read it. Thank you for this wonderful post.
That is exactly why I like it, Leslie, because of the story the footprints leave behind!
I always look for footprints around my house, wondering who’s been visiting. I can’t wait to check out this book and discover what prints to look for at the beach! Thanks, Susanna!
Have fun looking on the beach, Judy!
I love this book – and miss making my own sandy footprints on a beach!