'S No Mystery: Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee

JUST OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

THERE ARE TRACKS IN THE SNOW.

WHO MADE THE TRACKS?

WHERE DO THEY GO?

Who could resist following those mystery tracks? Not our little girl, bundled up in her red snowsuit, boots, and cap, off to explore a snow-transformed world.

The tracks lead her off through the trees as she considers the clues. These tracks too large for a rabbit's, and the bears are all asleep for the winter. A hippopotamus? Nope. That big white shape ahead is just a snow-covered bush.

The little girl stops to make a few snow angels as she gazes up at the bare branches of the trees and comes across the opening to a hibernating woodchuck's burrow, but the tracks continue on.

WHAT'S THIS?

SOMEONE'S LOST A MITTEN!

The girl's excitement rises as she finds this clue and feels she's finally closing in on the quarry of her quest. Although her feet are cold and she's a little tired, she picks up her pace and stays with her trail. The mystery track maker must be near!

WAIT--I KNOW WHERE THESE TRACKS GO!

Yep, you guessed it. She's been following her own tracks from another day, and they have led her right back to her own house, where thankfully inside there are hot tea and cookies waiting.

Gentle, feathery illustrations, as soft as a snowflake, give Wong Herbert Yee's Tracks in the Snow, (Henry Holt, 2010), fresh as new-fallen snow in its new paperback edition, a charm and eye appeal reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keat's classic The Snowy Day. in this charming winter's tale of a small child experiencing a white-clad outdoor world alone.