Come Out, Muskrats

by Jim Arnosky

In late afternoon the muskrats come out to swim, dive, and eat green water weeds.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Science

24 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1989

About the author

Jim Arnosky was born in New York City, NY Sept 1, 1946. He was raised in Pennsylvania. Jim graduated from high school in Philadelphia and joined the US Naval Reserves. His active duty took him to Maryland and Bremerhaven, Germany.

In 1976 Jim and his wife Deanna moved to Vermont with their two daughters where they have lived in an old farmhouse for the past 28 years. 17 of those years were spent raising sheep.

Jim is self taught in writing, art and the natural sciences. He has written and illustrated 86 books on nature subjects and has illustrated 46 other books written by various authors. He has been awarded the Christopher Medal, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Gordon Award, and Outstanding Science book awards from National Science Teachers Associations.

Jim loves to fish, boat, and play his guitar. In his work, he uses a Betacam SP video camcorder with a 1600 mm lens to record the wildlife he and Deanna find all across the country.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muskrats come out in the afternoon in this gentle, contemplative picture book, swimming in the shallows and eating water weeds, finding their way between water lilies and cattails, and spending the night exploring and reveling in the lake they call home...

Published in 1989, Come Out, Muskrats is one of a number of author/illustrator Jim Arnosky's many books that is intended for younger children—others in this vein include Otters Under Water and Deer at the Brook —and pairs a simple but poetic text consisting of no more than a phrase or two per two-page spread with lovely illustrations that capture the beauty and peace of the muskrats' watery home. Although I have listed this as children's nonfiction, is more of an animal story than a factual exploration, and there is no back matter giving more information. That said, it is still informative, and will also hopefully help to encourage children to see the beauty of the natural world, and the wonder of all its inhabitants, no matter how small or humble. Recommended to younger animal lovers, and to anyone seeking children's books about muskrats.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arnosky’s quiet and soft illustrations and simple verse makes this enjoyable for children and adults. While muskrats are the primary characters, many other creatures populate the pond and book, but the illustrators attentive eye captures lots of details, including surface bubbles, to draw us in.

[bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the illustrations in this book. The text however lacks complexity but young children will greatly enjoy the pictures and maybe they can tell their own story.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art, adequate story.

[Buxmont Uu]

CMMW 23

[Rachel Hacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just love the illustrations in this sweet book! A perfect bedtime story.