| Title | : | Expedition Backyard |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 059312734X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780593127346 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published June 21, 2022 |
Each day, Mole and Vole venture out into the world – never forgetting their nature journal! – to see what they can find in their own backyard. From pigeons and jumping spiders to swamp milkweed and maple trees, these two explorers get to know every part of their local environment. But after an accidental move from the country to the city, Mole and Vole worry that everything will be different. As they explore, they discover plants to look at and animals to meet in their new home as well.
The story of these two best friends brings to life a nonfiction adventure of finding wonder in nature everywhere – no matter where you live. This book concludes with fun activities for kids to do at home.
Expedition Backyard Reviews
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Onward Adventurers!
Go on an adventure around the neighborhood with Mole and Vole in Expedition Backyard, a completely charming children’s graphic novel from Rosemary Mosco and Binglin Hu. Mole and Vole spend their days going on expeditions around the the backyard of a rural home with Mole chronicling all they see with his artwork until one day they accidentally get packed up and moved to the city along with the family. The new world is scary, Vole thinks they see a lion and birds of prey circle above, but they make the best of it and decide to form their own adventure crew! This is such a sweet little book that makes learning and discovering fun and while it is aimed at elementary aged readers it is delightful for readers of any age.
I love you raccoon
This book is so pure and good. I love how many learning opportunities they include and how cute and brave all the furry little buddies are. It is broken into chapters by each “expedition” and each ends with Mole’s map of everything they saw and everyone they met (including the hawks and owls that seem to chase them once a day). I love how they meet new friends and learn what those animals are like, and there is a cute little side-plot about a little girl feeling lonely after moving but finding her own place as well.
The extras included at the end are wonderful too. There’s a guide how to draw the characters as well as information on nature activities like how to compost or plan a community garden. It’s a quick little read but it will fill you with joy and good vibes. It is just so cute and sweet and I want to hug all the animals.
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This charming junior graphic novel celebrates the wild and fascinating world that exists all around us--right in our own backyards, no matter if we reside in the country or the city.
Young readers are encouraged to learn about and respectfully observe wildlife and wild places--it's amazing what we can see with a quiet and patient attitude. The cute characters also introduce kids to the concept of nature journaling.
It's always nice to see materials that encourage kind and respectful engagement with nature! -
Well this was quite sweet 💖
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Adorable.
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THIS WAS SO CUTE AND FUN AND AHHHHHHHHHH
GREAT DISTRACTION FROM A STRESSFUL LIFE
parts of me have been healed that I didn’t realise even needed healing
Stunning
Also the pigeons were so cute -
The SWEETEST!
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this is the cutest thing i've read all year!!
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so sweet!! i immediately thought of two kids i know who would love this one. :')) the illustrations are very cute. i love the friendship between mole and vole and the friendships they make with other animals on their adventures. does a great job of inspiring kids to go explore the plants and animals in their own backyard.
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Cute and funny and I loved the bonus material!
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We received a temporary digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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! -
Cute book with lovely illustrations. This is fun for a child of any ages. This book is from the perspective of the rodents in your backyard. My toddler very much enjoyed it.
Thank you to Random House Children's & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. -
This book was so much fun to read, and was exactly what I needed after my lab today. It follows these cute little animal adventurers and their mishaps. I adored the art and the friendships in the short comics :D
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veryyyyy cuteeeee.
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A nice, short, graphic novel of the adventures of a mole and a vole, as they explore the world, finding new things which each adventure ending with an illustration by mole. Their adventures begin in the countryside, and then they are accidentally transported to the city. Taking the change in stride, they continue their adventures, gathering more adventurers and making new friends.
In the process of going through their adventures, the reader is given notes on the creatures they encounter in the countryside and the city, showing that nature is all around us and all we need to do is to look out for them to have adventures of our own. The book ends with a guide on how to draw mole and vole and how to go about creating your own nature diary as well as being involved in nature in the city. -
Very cute. Fun ecological themes too without being too preachy. Reminds me a lot of Dewdrop by Kay O’Neill.
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This book is super short and super cute! A great read for youngsters who want to get to familiar with nature in their own backyard. At the end, it even has tips to be a good steward of nature and how to get involved.
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such a cute and quick read about friends and the adventures we have a long the way.
the perfect read for spring/summer -
A cute story about friendship and adventures. While there is nothing new, it is fresh and great for the little adventure seeker in your life. The set up makes it great for a new chapter reader, or a chapter a night read aloud.
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Madam read this to Mister as part of our drive to the water park and it kept him laughing and asking for "more." I read this and laughed and wished for more also. Terrific characters that made critters who are not necessarily my first picks as loveable or adorable ones who I cheered for and went "a
www." -
Unlikely heroes for a graphic novel series, Mole and Vole have 5+ outdoor adventures in this book. Vole loves to wake Mole up early in the morning so that they can explore all the animals and plants and great outdoors right in their backyard. Vole looks for adventure and excitement while Mole is content to sketch what he sees and then post his artwork on his underground wall. But things change drastically for the two friends when they explore a nearby house and are accidentally packed in a moving box destined for the city. There, they make new friends, have new adventures, add to Mole's sketchbook, climb a tree on the back of an opossum, track down what Vole thinks is a lion, and have a couple of narrow escapes. The animals chart the way for young readers to have their own adventures right outside their doors while learning about science and how to observe what's around them. This cheerful, unique take on friendship and blooming where you are planted might encourage youngsters to appreciate what's nearby and help them realize that they don't have to travel far afield in order to "do" science. I don't know if other books to follow this pair are planned, but I'd certainly read them and include them in my science classroom library collection.
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The content of this adorable graphic info/novel is totally appropriate for kids as young as kindergarten and probably even younger, but because of its format my older students would be comfortable wielding it, too.
I laughed out loud at the adventures of Mole and Vole and loved how the pictures added to the story. (I did a double-take when I saw that Mole's urban home had a Tamagotchi buried in the soil underneath the tunnel!!) The book made the outdoors inviting.
The only thing this book needs is a section at the back with actual photographs of the animals and plants that are referenced in the book. Everything is drawn in a cute, cartoony-style; that's really fun for the story, but if I want to see if the tree in my backyard is a silver maple like the one in Vole's neighborhood, it's useless. I can't even see the shape of the leaves or the texture of the bark or anything. -
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 five-chapter graphic novel for young readers tells the adventurous expeditions of two friends Mole and Vole. These adventures take them into different environments at different times and lead to encounters with a variety of animal and plant life. Mole records in a nature journal so the reader can see his drawings and labels for different plants and animals. The book is very accessible with minimal text and ample graphic support. The reader learns the names of many things in nature and some of their characteristics as these two friends move through their journeys. The end notes include a number of How To pages that provides step by step directions on everything from how to draw the two characters Mole and Vole to how to accomplish some naturist type activities.
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The story, the illustrations & the bonus informative pages (how to compost, how to keep a nature journal, just to name 2!) are excellent & deserve 5 stars. Preventing this children's nature-themed graphic novel from a perfect 5-star rating is some of the actual graphic design elements. Young readers might find word bubbles difficult to follow especially those assigned to characters not drawn but assumed in the background. Mole & Vole, the main characters, might also be confusing to follow. But, if you're looking for a fun, accessible, informative book on the environment to share with emerging readers, this is the book! Strong 2nd grade independent readers (and up) will enjoy the adventure & humor.
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A pair of friends, Mole and Vole, go on fun everyday expeditions in this adorable graphic novel. But their true adventure begins when they get inadvertently transported from countryside to city.
This is a super cute read that introduces us to the different inhabitants of nature and the beauty that surrounds us. The story itself was just ok, but I enjoyed the heartwarming friendship between Mole and Vole as well as the lovely illustrations.
Thank you to Random House Graphic and Netgalley for an ARC of this book. -
Expedition Backyard is a delight in more ways than one. The story, the artwork, the characters, the how-tos all combine to 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!
