ALA Booklist (Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2000)

In this paean to all living creatures, Ryder battles children's almost universal urge to step on ant hills and break spider webs. She advocates awareness of the way animals fit into their surroundings and discourages the idea that certain animals, such as snakes, bears, and alligators, are enemies. The gently rhyming text culminates in the plea: Be aware of them. Take care of them. Be watchful. Let them be. Wolff's intense gouache paintings, outlined in black, are as lyrical as the text, with just the right balance of simplicity and subtle detail to encourage the kind of awareness of creatures Ryder describes. The clear, positively expressed message combined with the engaging illustrations makes this a fine choice for most picture-book collections. (Reviewed April 15, 2000)

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2000)

At first this simple text seems cautionary, warning readers to "watch out for" spiders and snakes, but then it urges them to "take care of" worms, snails, ants, and sea turtles as equally important elements of nature, and pleads ultimately to "let them be." The shifting characters and ecosystems depicted in the earth-toned gouache illustrations, showing seashore, everglade, desert, and woodland habitats, may confuse some readers.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

As Wolff depicts a rainbow of children observing life in seven different idyllic habitats (ranging from a seashore to an impeccably manicured park), Ryder (Earthdance) serenades her audience on the importance of respecting nature. The rhyming text, both courtly and vivacious, plays on a double entendre of paying attention and caring for all earthly creatures: """"Look out for wriggling worms and creeping snails/ for darting bees who dip among the flowers,/ for streaming ants who streak the dusty trails--/ please step around their sandy towers."""" The sensuality and detail here recall Wolff's work in titles such as Home Sweet Home. From the opening pages, which depict a flowering bush that doubles as home to a robin's nest and a raindrop-dappled spider's web, to the final illustration, a desert landscape awash in lush browns and blues, Wolff makes nature a celebration of ripe, radiant color. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)

Kirkus Reviews

Ryder's rhyming call reminds us to be aware of all living things and to treat them with respect and care. Some things are good to recycle: the bottles in the recycling bin that's carried through mud puddles by a young girl smiling at roadside robins and apple blossoms. Other things should be left as they are: spiders, snakes, and toads crossing the road, as well as the worms, snails, bees, and ants met by a young boy while gardening. As the season and characters change, autumn colors underscore smoke rising from the chimney of a mountain-country house as bears linger in the dusk. At night, owls hoot and hunt, bats flit, and cougars prowl unseen. Another change of characters brings readers to the seashore or to a park in Wolff's ( Some Things Go Together , 1999) attractive, full-spread, full-bleed, black gesso and gouache illustrations. Her scenes making evident the variety of life in every environment. "Be aware of them," concludes the text. "Take care of them. Be watchful. Let them be." An idyllic but responsibly conscious view of nature in a book as rich visually as it is textually spare. (Picture book. 3-7)

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

PreS-A remarkable marriage of spare, poetic text and luminous, detailed paintings. On full-bleed, double-page spreads, Ryder makes a plea for children to respect animals-both those that are easy to love and those that may be frightening. "Watch out-for toads who lurch/and leap across the road-/please stop to let them pass." The illustration shows a girl holding up her hand to stop an approaching school bus as the creatures leap to safety. The narrative is a natural for reading aloud-it flows smoothly and is full of imagery. Wolff's vibrant, action-packed paintings are familiar and comforting. She incorporates environmentalism in all of the art-children recycle, garden, and enjoy their surroundings. She depicts a variety of habitats and terrains and each phrase is illustrated with children or a family interacting with nature. This book introduces ecological concerns in a way that is natural and clear to youngsters. A wonderful choice for sharing in libraries, with families, for learning to honor each living thing.-Susan Marie Pitard, Weezie Library for Children, Nantucket Atheneum, MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.