Deserts: Thirsty Wonderlands

Children's Literature - Sara Lorimer

Deserts cover about twenty percent of the earth's surface, including all of Antarctica. This book is a good introduction to these dry ecosystems (a word which is clearly defined in the book). It gives quick insight into how plants can survive with such scarce rain, what traits animals have for walking across hot sand, and the fragility of deserts. It might be nice if there was some space given to how people live in the desert but perhaps that is a different book. The full-page, full-color illustrations are lovely. Done digitally, they almost look like screen prints or cartoons and do an excellent job of matching and adding to the text. Scattered throughout are fun facts, snippets of information about deserts (although what is quite so fun about the 1930s Dust Bowl is not clear). At the end are instructions for making a diorama of a desert scene. It is easy to imagine this being used for a classroom discussion about the environment, and it also works as pleasure reading for any inquisitive child. Back matter includes a glossary, an index, and suggestions for further reading. From the "Amazing Science Ecosystems" series.