About Habitats: Deserts

Children's Literature - Jean Boreen

The first book in a series about habitats throughout the world, this text focuses on deserts. The beginning of the book sports a map that provides an initial overview of the deserts of the world. This is directly followed by a very simple text, appropriate for young readers looking for their first taste of a desert habitat. Most of the illustrations are from American deserts, with the abundance focusing on the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts of North America. The illustrations are pastels that meld well with the actual coloring of most deserts. A six-page Afterward provides older, more experienced readers with additional information about the desert habitats which they have read about and viewed through pictures. One final page provides a short glossary, seven reference books, and four websites for future consideration. While this is an adequate number, it is not as many as I would have expected. The author and illustrator have extensive backgrounds in environmental and naturalist books, so they are well-suited to their task. This is a solid book for both beginning readers and beginning naturalists.