Expedition Backyard: Exploring Nature from Country to City

Expedition Backyard is a fun, fast-paced graphic novel for early readers that focuses on the adventures of best friends and neighbours, Vole and Mole who live in the forest. They love to go on adventures together, but, where Vole is super adventurous and wants to explore, Mole is the exact opposite. She prefers to bring along her sketchbook and draw what she experiences firsthand.

One day, while Mole and Vole are exploring the human house next door, they get trapped in cardboard boxes and are transported to the city where their human neighbours are moving. Mole is afraid at first, but Vole convinces her that they can make a home anywhere and go on new adventures right in their own backyard.

And so, Mole and Vole begin a series of expeditions around the city where they start to learn some new facts. Like, did you know that bees come in lots of colours, like green? Or, that pigeons dance as part of their mating ritual? Or that raccoons feel for food with their sensitive paws?

Not only do they learn new things, but they also make a bunch of new friends along the way, like a house sparrow, a family of opossums, a snake, and a honeybee. Together, they form the Adventurers Club, a group of various animals and insects that explore their neighbourhood together and have loads of fun doing it.

In the end, the Adventurers Club goes on one last adventure. Vole has spotted a zebra in the city, and they’re on the hunt to find it. Will the gang find this elusive zebra? Hopefully, there will be a second installment for readers to find out.

With a host of adorable characters and chock-full of adventure, Expedition Backyard is a fantastic entry level graphic novel. Mole and Vole are extremely likeable characters, and their friendly banter will resonate with many young readers who will see their own friendships reflected in this story. Moreover, both Mole and Vole encourage children to explore and connect with nature in their own backyards which adds a fun, interactive element to this graphic novel. However, the fun does not end when the story does. There are a lot of activities provided in the back matter, including tutorials on how to draw the main characters, how to keep a nature journal, how to join a community garden, how to stop birds from hitting your windows, how to be the best cat owner, and how to compost at home.

Adding to the story’s appeal are the wonderful illustrations of various flora and fauna found in both the city and in the forest. The illustrations, which were drawn with a fountain pen and then digitally coloured with Photoshop, are simple yet dynamic, and enhance the storyline immensely. The colour scheme is particularly impressive as the dark purples and magenta of the night turn into the golden yellows and soft blues of the day.

Overall, Expedition Backyard is a fun, fact-filled adventure story that encourages children to get outside and explore their own backyards.