Synopsis
Scorpions, sand cats and camels are just a few of the fascinating animals featured in their dry, desert habitat.
Children's Literature
In this edition of the "Who Lives Here?" series, Deborah Hodge introduces readers to a wide variety of animals living in deserts around the world. She defines a desert as a dry place with little rain and sandy or rocky terrain. Each double-page spread includes general text about one of the animals with a large picture, then adds additional information and smaller pictures featuring some attribute of the animals or its behavior. Some animals, such as the camel and the fox will probably be well-known to children reading or listening to the book. Even so, Hodge includes enough interesting information to bring new ideas to readers. Other animals, such as the addax or sidewinder, will probably be little known or even unknown to young readers. All the information has been reviewed for accuracy by the Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto. The illustrations by Pat Stephens are accurate, detailed, and visually appealing. This is a very good introduction to, or overview of, these animals. Reviewer: Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger