What goes on inside a beaver pond? by Becky Cushing Gop, illustrated by Carrie Shryock

The publisher says this is for readers ages 8-10, putting it solidly in middle grade territory, but I consider it works much better as a picture book for several reasons.

It has an interesting layout, alternating between full spreads and comic panels, with informational sections running along the bottom of the book. There's a primary narrative that follows a young beaver, from her younger years with her family, setting out and searching for her own home, to eventually finding a place and starting a new family. Around the central story, Gop explores how beavers affect and interact with local wildlife and habitat. Readers learn about how beavers create a dam, the challenges of finding new territories in urban and polluted areas, and the different kinds of bird calls you might hear in the beaver's territory.

Green dominates the illustrations, which are often smaller comic panels, heavily outlined in black, set against a washed out aerial view of the landscape. The illustrations are realistic watercolors, showing the beavers swimming, working, and traveling along with delicate drawings of deer, foxes, birds, muskrats, and many other forest creatures.

This is not laid out to be a read-aloud, rather it's something to be read and discussed in small groups or one-on-one. It can be read a little at a time, following the central narrative and then returning to the inset information, or browsing through the book. There are no sources for the information, other than an author's note about their interest in beavers and the natural world, and that, plus the layout makes me feel it's a better fit for my picture book section. My picture book collection is divided into subject neighborhoods and is directed at preschool through elementary school and I have a growing audience for individual and read-aloud picture books for older elementary students.

Verdict: Whether you put this in your nonfiction, juvenile, or picture book section, this is a beautifully illustrated look into the life and habitat of a beaver and will be an excellent choice for readers interested in this amazing animal or the natural world in general.

ISBN: 9781635865271; Published September 2023 by Storey; Egalley provided by publisher via Netgalley; Added to the library's order list