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!