Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

This nonfiction book follows Mole and Vole as they explore their backyard. Their friendships are really sweet and their adventures are so much fun for the kids to follow. The graphic novel structure is perfect for newer readers and the illustrations are colorful. My eight-year-old loved the additional content at the end, particularly the "how to draw" section. Highly recommend!

There is a thin plot to this book that is used to introduce quick facts about habitats and animals. It's not a complex story nor is the scientific information very deep. It's cute and might encourage a kid to learn more.

Two best friends, Mole and Vole, live their best lives going on adventures and expeditions every day. No matter what happens, whether it's a scary predator or even a complete change of scenery, these two friends keep a positive outlook and face the big world head-on. From the backyard to the city, Mole and Vole make every day a fun and educational adventure!

Expedition Backyard is a children's nonfiction graphic novel that is perfect for nature and animal lovers!


This is adorable!
We loved Vole's enthusiasm for adventure and Mole's tendency to nature journal all of their fun expeditions.
The illustrations are super cute and there is some scientific labeling of flora and fauna thrown in to make it even more educational.

There's a lot of great content at the end of the book as well, including step-by-step instructions to draw the characters and tips on how to keep a nature journal, join a community garden, learning to compost, and more!

I adored this little graphic novel! Perfect for 1st and 2nd grade independent readers.

The story introduces ideas and inspiration for drawing and journaling what kids may and would see in nature while following a narrative of two animal friends on an adventure. I love the included instructions for kids to be able to make and draw in their own journals. I absolutely plan to include this in my summer homeschool curriculum, and recommend it to our local library.

Thank you so much to Random House Children for the ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the ARC of this!

This was super cute and engaging, perfect for the elementary school audience. There was adventure, diversity, nature journaling, and friendship, all wrapped up with adorable illustrations. I'll definitely be suggesting that my kiddos read this next!

The illustrations in Expedition Backyard were the best part of the story. The story is okay. For a short graphic novel, it is about what I would expect. I will likely get this for my library because I have a good number of students who really want cute graphic novels.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Expedition Backyard is a delight in more ways than one. The story, the artwork, the characters, the how-tos all combine so make a wonderful book.
I learned the difference between mole and vole. Mole is scaredy and vole invites him on expeditions. Two reasons why birds take dirt baths are given. The underground views in the country and the city are different. The double page spreads are adorable. I liked the picture of mole’s home after a few weeks in the city.
This graphic novel is highly recommended. Thanks to Random House and Netgalley!

A cute little graphic novel about mole and vole and their perfect life. When that all gets upended can they adapt? I love following along as these adorable little critters find new friends and experiences! There was also a cute subplot about a young girl learning to make new friends in the big city after a move.

Each day when I go for a walk, I observe nature. The tulips are now gone but I am enjoying the azaleas. The leaves on the trees are so many shades of green. All of this provides a welcome sense of peacefulness in this crazy world.

In this book for kids, Mole and Vole are also observing the world around them and having adventures. What will happen when they find themselves in a city, rather than the more familiar country? Encourage a child to read this title to find out in an adorable and sweet graphic novel of two friends, one of whom is bolder than the other. Several different adventures are included.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children for this title. All opinions are my own.

Expedition Backyard is an engaging and whimsically illustrated story for the youngest readers (~4-8 years)about the nature adventures to be found in our own backyards, written and illustrated by Roesemary Mosco and Binglin Hu. Due out 21st June 2022 from Random House on their Children's imprint, it's 128 pages and will be available in hardcover library binding and ebook formats.

This is such a sweet and engaging story about two friends, an anthropomorphic mole and vole who go out with their nature journal to see what they can find and learn about in their own backyards. It's written in panel style in a graphic novel format with colorful pen & ink drawings in an appealingly playful style. Although there are no photographs and the story is told with simple drawings, the characters, animals, plants and backgrounds are clear and detailed enough to be easily recognizable. They're full of small details like insects and vole's little sun hat which are cute and lightly humorous and will appeal to all ages.

Mole and Vole are likeable, honest, and curious to learn about the nature around them. Through their adventures they show readers how interesting and fun it is to learn and document their own natural environment wherever they live. The authors have also included advice from the two friends about helping the environment in the form of protecting birds, caring for nature, keeping pet cats safe from dangers in their neighborhoods (and nature safe from our pets), composting, joining a community garden and more.

Five stars. This would make a superlative public or school library selection or for the home library, activity groups, reading circles and similar. I love the graphic novel format and it's a good example of stories which are ideally suited to the format.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Expedition Backyard is a cute book about two friends who love to explore. They go on several different adventures together. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is fun. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Rating 4.5

What first drew me to this book was the beautiful illustrations! They are so cute and creative and the more you read the better they get. I loved how the story progressed from taking place outside, to a human’s home, to a big foreign city. Together Mole and Vole made a great team and helped one another in their time of need. I enjoyed seeing how they interacted with other animals as well as the new environments. Overall, I would really recommend this book. I think it would be perfect for children.

I loved that in the back of the book it included pictures on how to draw both Mole and Vole! That was such a cute addition I was not expecting but is great to help kids get even more invested in the characters and story. Also included were several other helpful tips such as how to be a pet owner, how to join a community garden, and how to start journaling.


Thank you so much @randomhousechildrens for the #gifted copy on #netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A pair of friends, Mole and Vole go on fun everyday expeditions in this adorable graphic novel. But their true adventure begins when they inadvertently get transported from countryside to city.

This was a super cute read that introduces us to the different inhabitants of nature and the beauty that surrounds us. I enjoyed the heartwarming friendship between Mole and Vole as well as the lovely illustrations.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Charming backyard novel told in a graphic novel of all the adventures in the back yard.

Mosco and Hu do a wonderful job in portraying life of moving from a rural community into a big city from an animal's perspective. The adventures of Mole and Vole are of a sweet friendship navigating their differences of seeking adventure and what that means. Mosco does an incredible job in a graphic novel to make early readers familiar with the notion of chapters with different scenarios.

Although the book focus is the animals', it is great to see a parallel universe with humans and the feelings involved with humans moving and interacting with new people.

This is great book to help bring out hidden feelings for children who may have recently or about to move.

***Thank you NetGalley for proving me access to this preview. This review is based on an ARC. ***

This book was absolutely adorable and I so enjoyed reading it!! The illustrations were beautiful and I loved the message of finding wonder in nature, whether it be in a forest or a city.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great graphic novel that explores the adventure of friends Mole and Vole. Great additions at the back of the book. It is nice to see how to draws, and other nature based activities available for the readers.

Cute cute cute. I love kids books about getting outside and enjoying nature. This one doesn't disappoint. Perfect summer picture book.

This is a fun an educational book with adorable illustrations. I think my students will love reading about the various adventures that these characters go on, as well as learning some fun animal facts along the way. I think this is a great way to introduce knowledge without using a nonfiction book in your library.