Reading this book is rather like taking a walk with a knowledgeable companion. I’m impressed by the level of identifying detail. Sure, reading this book will help you identify animal tracks. And you may learn about wildlife that you’ve been passing by or ignoring.

At another layer, however, it’s about what happens when you start paying attention to the other residents of our world, often unseen. It’s about deepening your attention and expanding your focus beyond the world of human beings. Reading it felt almost meditative, and definitely inspiring.

It felt like more of a memoir then a guide book. So it will just depend on what readers want out of it. Some good discussion on different tracks and thoughts on nature our connection to it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Sharman Apt Russell’s What Walks This Way is a captivating exploration of the natural world, inviting readers to uncover the hidden stories told by the tracks and signs of wildlife. With her characteristic wit and compassion, Russell transforms the seemingly mundane act of tracking into a profound journey of discovery and connection.

Set against the diverse landscapes of North America, each chapter delves into the unique behaviors and habitats of these creatures, offering readers a detailed guide to identifying their tracks and signs.

While the book is non-fiction, the “characters” are the wildlife Russell encounters. Her vivid descriptions bring these animals to life, making readers feel as if they are walking alongside her, observing the same tracks and signs. The author’s deep respect and admiration for these creatures shine through, adding emotional depth to the narrative.

What Walks This Way explores themes of curiosity, conservation, and the interconnectedness of all living things. Russell emphasizes the importance of understanding and preserving wildlife, urging readers to become more attuned to the natural world around them.

Russell’s writing is informative and poetic. She balances scientific accuracy with lyrical prose, making the book accessible to both novice trackers and seasoned naturalists.

What Walks This Way is a delightful and enlightening read that will inspire readers to look more closely at the world around them. Sharman Apt Russell’s ability to blend science, personal narrative, and advocacy makes this book a standout in nature writing.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in wildlife, conservation, or simply enjoying a beautifully written book about the wonders of the natural world.

What Walks This Way by Sharman Apt Russell is jam-packed with light bulb moments and practical advice on observing animal signs, mostly tracks but also gait, skulls and scat (the turkey scat information is especially fascinating!). As the author says, it's a pre field guide and applicable to urban as well as rural animals. It's also part memoir and nature writing, conversational in tone.

The focus is on North American animals and regulations but would appeal to nature lovers in general. The author describes differentiating between wild and domestic felines and canines, connecting versus controlling, hunting and trapping, species which haven't migrated, how to label toes, negative space X, responsive reproduction and population control. She also discusses specific animals and their tracks and other signs (badger and coyote bond, tracks which eerily resemble a child's handprints, the racoon walk and which animal claws appear in tracks).

Though I am completely surrounded by nature, this book really opened my eyes to new-to-me details. I will purposefully seek signs in a fresh light.

My sincere thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this captivating book.

This book reads like a lost conversation with an old friend in the woods. Naturalists will find this a comfortable conversation, filled with insight and clear animal profiles. I enjoyed each excerpt and story shared. Take a walk with this book to rediscover the landscape around you and the creatures you share it with - a perfect book to take on a date outside! Thank you Netgalley and Columbia University Press for access to the digital ARC. I recommend this title for those interested in learning about animal tracking, may you discover that your space is shared with many!

A great book, not only on animals that I never thought of learning about but their tracks too. I especially loved the tracker conversations and the very last chapter.

Domestic dog.
Domestic dog.
Herron.
Bear.
Domestic dog.
Wait, bear!
This amazingly titled book is a curious read full of surprises.
Spoiler alert: some domestic dog paw prints are scarier than coyote paw prints.
And the grey wolf has nice feet.
I quite like the memoir aspect of this book and glad that the author followed her instincts to include that last chapter.

I really enjoyed this book. Part factual tracking information with photographys, part memoirs and stories from the author. And amusing conversations between trackers too. Would love an Australian version of this USA book. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

This was a really excellent book from Sharman Apt Russell. Part memoir. Part nature reference.

It includes a lot of interesting tidbits and stories as well as really informative tips on identifying tracks.

I also appreciated the tips on differentiating similar tracks. For example, the author explained how to tell a coyote track from a wolf track from a domestic dog track.

The pictures were extremely helpful. They provided visual engagement and helped to clarify and support the text-based explanations.

This is a great book for naturalists, hunters, trackers, and anyone interested in learning how to identify animal tracks.

Thanks to Net Galley and Columbia University Press for an advanced reader copy of this book.

I absolutely loved this book. It combined an informative fact book on animal tracking with a memoir and was done brilliantly. It was great how different groups of animals were discussed, from bears and cats to tiny mice and ferrets. The writing was so easy to read, and although there was a lot of themed vocabulary, I didn’t find it made anything any more difficult to understand. Would recommend to anyone who has an interest in the wildlife world or animal tracking. The pictures and diagrams for comparison were an added genius!

I want to thank NetGalley as well as the publisher/author for allowing me to read this ARC!


“All life on Earth has the right to survive and flourish. We are all connected. We all have value.”


What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs, By: Sharman Apt Russell was just amazing! It had me and my animal loving heart hooked right in the beginning! This has for sure landed as a favorite read for this year! This has also become a book I wish so many people would pick up and read. I know it will for sure end up being a book I’ll recommend to some readers and animal lovers in my life. This book was so much more than just animal tracking. Not to mention I have never been more interested in animal tracking as I am now since reading this book. It’s left me thinking more about the native animals in not just our backyards but also all over the U.S. and other countries. There’s so much knowledge I feel can be gained from reading this.


The author also does such an amazing job showing a debate of two sides to an argument involving hunting and tracking and preserving our native species. Allowing you to become understanding of both sides as well as allowing you to become more aware of our native wildlife. I feel even leaving you to appreciate even the smallest of creatures you may not always think about. I also really appreciate the information on what you’d do coming face to face with some of our intimidating and beautiful predators we coexist with. Truly felt like I was being told stories and information from a teacher I’d admire and look up too.


I loved this book and all the information I devoured from it. The reminder that mistakes are a learning lesson and help aid you to become better. I’ll be on my way as soon as the physical book is released to have one on my shelf AND I am for sure going to be paying closer attention to my dog's feet, the other tracks in my backyard, and on the future hiking adventures to be had in my lifetime. Just might see me looking for more books on tracking.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ohhhhh wow this was amazing, one of my faves for the year!

This book was so much more than I expected, and such a wonderful blend of things. It is part nature guidebook with detailed illustrations and photographs of animal tracks along with specific information about how to identify them. It is also part memoir, as the author recounts her many adventures tracking wildlife, walking, and biking near her home in the southwestern USA with her friend Sonnie, and their time spent in a wildlife tracking certification course. It is also part nature writing, with some of the most beautiful writing about animals I have had the pleasure to read.

If you liked Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez, then you would probably love this (and vice versa), as I find that they both write so lovingly and with such detail about the animals they observe.

This author really made me fall in love with "everyday animals" and their often invisible lives, and opened up some of their mystery by showing us how to really notice and honor the traces they leave on the world. There is so much more out there than what we can see!

This made me also really appreciate the varied ecosystems in the USA. As someone from the southeast, reading about all the different animals that live in the southwest I kept thinking oh my god, you have those there?! Like, ringtails and coatis, wow! I also discovered from this book that there is such an animal as a spotted skunk (please look them up right now), and that brought me many days of joy. I don't live in the USA right now, but the day I finished this book I went out and bought a guidebook for tracking my local wildlife here too.

This is definitely one of those rare books that will stay with you forever, as it teaches you to see the world with fresh and loving eyes. 100% recommend!

This was such an interesting read with lot's of information on different animals, including lot's of information about tracking that I didn't previously know.

Extremely informative! It clearly breaks down not only the tracks of common animals, but provides so much information about their movements and behavior. The book also contains history, great facts, and entertaining stories. The diagrams and photos were wonderful as well. I read this to refresh my memory as well as preparing myself for a lesson for my homeschool pod. Great resource!