In the Woods: Who's Been Here?: An Award-Winning Nature Book About Animal Signs for Children

Who's Been Here?

by Lindsay Barrett George

"An excellent introduction to classroom nature units and the perfect prelude to a walk in the woods." (Booklist) Cammy and William don't see any wildlife as they walk through the woods, yet there are signs everywhere that animals have been around. Help these young nature lovers find the clues—an empty nest, a fallen branch with the bark gnawed off, bleached bones by a cave, and more—and join in guessing  "Who's been here?" In the Who's Been Here? is an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children. Plus don't miss the companion In the Who's Been Here? and In the Who's Been Here?

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Animals, Childrens, Nonfiction, Science, Juvenile

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do enjoy these books and think that the illustrations are great and I love that she doesn't talk down to the kids on these everyday nature topics. However this book does contain two graphic violence scenes - a goshawk tearing a bluejay up and foxes eating a woodchuck. So it's real nature and read with care.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the pictures of the animals in the book but the kids had strange faces to me for some reason. I like that you can look at the clues and try and predict the animals that left the clues behind. The back matter gives you a little more detail if you are unfamiliar with the animals shown in the book.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siblings go for a hike in the woods and notice signs from the many animals who were in the area before them. On alternate pages a clue is described and then the answer to which animal left the clue is revealed. The illustrations are very nice, especially the ones that feature the animals. I wish the clue on each page was a little bit more of a focus of the illustrations, that might make it easier to guess. This would be a great book to read before a nature walk or other outdoor adventure to give kids an idea of some animal signs to search for.
There are two pages that feature predator/prey situations with animals completing the food chain. My kids 3/4 weren’t phased by it because we often talk about the food chain, usually when reading books like this. The pictures are not very graphic or gory, I think many young children wouldn’t even notice what’s going on. However you might want to preview the book and consider your audience before reading aloud.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would be almost impossible for a reader to guess "who's been there" for most of the pictures. The illustrations are not close-up so the clues are small. So if you're hoping for a fun guessing game, that probably won't happen. There are things to learn about nature though, even the fact that a goshawk will catch and kill a blue jay.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

How lovely to encounter this beautiful picture book, full of meaning for those who love nature and the environment.

The "Who's been here?" is a magnificent start to learning, learning, learning.

As for the ending, it's simply lovely.

Summing up, I don't know which I love more, the impeccable words by Lindsay Barrett George or her remarkable illustrations. So glad I don't have to choose.

[Olivia Eaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales for Two's - Fall Storytime

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two siblings walk through the woods and discover signs and clues about the animals that live there.

Storytime:
Woodland Creatures

[Alyssa Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yikes, pictures probably could've been slightly less graphic.

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

F and I read this together at the library. She enjoyed guessing which animals had been there on each page.

[Ashley Moser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about nature that introduces ideas of tracking and looking for clues of wildlife.

[Kaycee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two children take a peaceful walk through the woods and wonder: who else has been here. The children see lots of signs of wildlife but they don't see any of the animals. This book simplifies the signs that animals have been around taking one clue and then jumping straight to what animal was there on the next page. The clues are a little obscure and difficult to figure out, for example they see a little black cave in a rock and ask who's been here. My first guess was the obvious animal for a cave, bats. The correct answer was a family of foxes. The reader of the book almost has to know a decent amount about forest wildlife in North America to be able to specify what the animal is based on the clue given in the text. The book also does not specify where this woods is located, based on the animals and foliage the best guess is Northern North America. This is an important fact to leave out on a book that discusses animal habitat. The illustrations of the animals and the plants were very detailed and portrayed a realistic image of the animal. The paintings of the people were a little dated with both children wearing 90's style outfits. This book, while easy to read, might be most effective for older students in 3-5 grade who are studying animals and there habitats.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book is a perfect first nature guide. William and Cammie follow a trail in the woods, finding clues along the way that help them determine what bird or animal has been there ahead of them. They see an empty nest in an old cherry tree. Who's been here? The next page shows a picture of a northern oriole with its nestlings. Several other clues make this a happy and educational walk. At the end of the book is a page describing the various birds and animals mentioned in the book. Read it to older children for the information, and to younger ones for the colorful, detailed, and beautiful illustrations.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This large format "talk about" book works well in a story time about camping out or hiking or forest life. On the question page "who's been here" the illustrator looks through the child's point of view. The following double-page spread depicts a vibrant close-up from the "critter's" point of view.

When sharing this with young children you might ask what the animal / bird / insect is doing, what sound it makes, etc. You might also ask them to show with their hands or fingers how big or small the "critter" is.

You'll notice that the group reflects the energy you give to the performance, which helps with their focus and enjoyment. The more the better!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children go on a nature hike in the woods and discover many remains of animal activity. From bones to feathers to nests and more the children use the clues to learn about the residents of the forest. Readers are invited to guess which animals the clues point to and a breif paragraph about all of the animals featured in text follows the story.

About 50% of the animals were familiar to me while the other 50% were animals I learned a thing or two about.

Illustrations are photo realistic.

Overall, a great nature read aloud for PreK-2.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to use in early elementary classrooms and can be used when kids go outside or for the start to a science lesson on plants and animals that live in the woods. It can be read and used to predict clues about an area on a path through the woods and what could be in that area, a bird, mushroom growth, etc. It's fun to read through and guess what will be coming next and gives great photos on the animal or plant that is discussed.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Woods follows two children who looked for clues in the forest to determine 'Who's Been Here?'. It was a great experience in making inferences and I would enjoy reading this with a child and trying to guess before turning the page. The answers were actually a bit tricky, but it spiked my curiosity about these animals.

[Cemeread · Rating 4 out of 5]

The animals are so vivid in these gouache painted illustrations. The animals could be found in woods of just about any area in the US. This book does include the circle of life so be prepared for animals eating other animals or bones left behind. A final page shows a small version of each animal with it's name and about a paragraph of information about each.

[Hannah Morrison]

In the Woods is a great book to work with life science. I would love to read it and take my students on a nature walk to look for signs of wildlife. The text is not overly complicated and there is no jargon to wade through. Great for science/literacy integration.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great picture book to tie in with science or to use to teach the reading strategy of making inferences. Kids really liked it!

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, but we found a couple of them a bit too graphic.

[Feras Nasser]

This book helps students practice their skills of predicting, because it deliberately requires students to make predictions.

[Bridgid · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated walk through the woods, with the characters observing a northern oriole, red squirrel, monarch butterfly, snowshoe hare, goshawk, foxes, mud daubers and deer.