The Finders Field Guides published by Nature Study Guild Publishers are unlike any field guide I’ve ever used.  Instead of colorful, realistic illustrations or actual photographs of nature examples, there are simple sketches.  You also don’t peruse through the books looking for the sketch that matches the object you’re observing.  These don’t sound like things to be excited about, do they??

The Finders Field Guides are dichotomous keys.  That’s a fancy term that means you are asked a series of questions about the object you’re observing and choose between two or three characteristics.  After going through several questions, you end up with a clear identification of your specimen.

I’ll give you an example using the wild strawberry below.  Let’s pretend I happen upon this berry on a nature walk and have no idea what it is.  I pull out my small, easy to pack Berry Finder guide.  After reading through a few pages to understand terms used in the book and plant parts, I start my simple journey to identify the berry.

The first identification page asks me to choose whether the plant grows on:

1. an herb (non-woody plant) – go to page 6
2. a woody plant with needles or a palm – go to page 18
3. a woody plant with broad leaves which is

• a vine or creeping shrub without upright support – go to page 20
• an erect shrub or small tree with many small stems – go to page 28
• a tree with one main stem or trunk – go to page 52

After making my first choice and going to the appropriate page, I’ll be asked to make another choice.  Sometimes the specimen can be identified after only making one or two choices.  Other times, you must go through several steps before making the identification.

I just love this type of ID!  It’s more than just a simple photo match.  You and your children have to really observe the specimen – leading to a much more in-depth examination and understanding!

The Finders Field Guides are not only easy to pack, but VERY affordable at $3.95 each.  They also come are written for three specific regions of North America – Pacific Coast, East of the Rockies, and Rockies & Great Basin.  I have the East of the Rockies set of Finders Field Guides which we’ve enjoyed immensely!

Don’t let the fact that they’re compact deceive you – each of the guides include around 300 pages!  A large, full-color picture graces the left of each two-page spread, while succinct notes about the animal/plant/constellation are clearly noted on the right.  When appropriate, a small map showing range is included on the info page, too.

For review, I received Birds of Kentucky and Night Sky.  Both are excellent!  Quite honestly, I’ve put off a serious study of birds because other field guides I’ve used simply cover too many birds and I have a hard time identifying them with confidence.  The Birds of Kentucky field guide has changed all that!  Now I have only four or five blue colored birds, for instance, to choose from (because they are the only ones normally in KY) and my bird identification skills have drastically improved!  And I’ll reiterate the fact that actual close-up, nearly life-size photos of the birds are included.  The illustrated guide I had been using doesn’t even compare!

In the Night Sky field guide they have separated the book into seasons so that you know which constellations to look for during the year.  A bright illustration of the night sky is included for each constellation with the stars pinpointed, labeled with their names, and the constellation drawn in clearly. A graph accompanies each constellation to help you place it in comparison to notable stars like the North Star and the Big Dipper.

On the adjacent info page, you learn such things as where to look in the horizon during each month, the best times to observe it, and fun facts including how it got it’s name.  Note that many constellations were named because of mythology, so you will find lots of information about mythology, gods and goddesses.  I’ve simply chosen to omit that part of the info and we just use the book to help us locate and recognize things in the night sky.  Oh, and a mini night flashlight is included in the back of the book!  It shines red so you can see the book at night without having to readjust your eyes over and over!

The company sells nature-related children’s literature, too.  Oftentimes, you have to be very careful about nature books for children because so many of them speak of “millions of years”, or the new-age mindset of nature as our god.  I only reviewed A Bold Carnivore and found it to be a delightful ABC book about all types of carnivorous animals from birds to fish to mammals.  I have included this post as a Book Buzz because it fits into the purpose of highlighting really good nature-related books that don’t fit with any particular NaturExplorers unit (yet.)

For each season, Nic Bishop includes a fantastic two-page, life-sized photo scene with many of the common insects and animals you might see in places like the leafy understory, treetops, edge of the woods and even at night.  The animals are in the habitat where they would normally be found giving you clues about where to look during your nature walk.

After the photo spread, another two-page spread follows that identifies and describes each of the 20 or so critters included on the previous pages.  In all, there are seven different photo scenes that will help you identify well over 100 woodland creatures!  This is the perfect field guide for younger children with its clear pictures and simple descriptions.

The author has included tips about keeping a nature journal, what to watch for each season and a pictorial index, too.  All of this in 48 pages.  Now, since it’s life-sized it is a little more cumbersome to carry around on a nature walk than other field guides, but I think you’ll find that the large size is worth it!

Finding a good field guide for studying animals tracks can be more difficult than you might imagine.  I want to highlight the Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks as the best one I’ve found on the subject thus far.

There’s a quick picture guide in the beginning of the book to help you make an initial guess at the track you’re viewing.  Several animal tracks are shown together which helps you make a quick comparison of several possible tracks to the one you’re trying to identify.

After you believe you’ve found the right track, a page number is referenced to find more detailed pictures, sketches and information about the animal that made the track.  Approximate track lengths and widths are given, as well as the distance between feet and the animal’s typical stride.

Depending on the animal, you may find sketches of other signs such as scat (poop), nests/burrows, marks they make as they gnaw on food, or foods they typically eat.

A written section continues to explain the animal’s habitat, behaviors, foods and even the sounds they make, as well as comparisons to animals that might make similar tracks.

Sections of the book include:

• opossums
• shrews
• moles
• armadillos
• pikas, hares and rabbits
• rodents
• dogs, foxes and wolves
• bears
• hair seals and eared seals
• raccoons, ringtails and coatis
• weasels, otters and badgers
• skunks
• cats
• hoofed animals
• birds
• amphibians and reptiles
• insects and other invertebrates

Even though it’s compact enough to fit in your nature bag, you can see that A LOT of animals are covered in 391 pages!  There’s even a handy centimeter/inch ruler built into the back cover to help you make track determinations in the field.

You can find all the other Peterson Field Guides by subject at Houghlton Mifflin’s website.

Raccoon prints in mud at the edge of a creek

What do you use for animal track/animal sign identification?

~Cindy