Overview
Look at a desert, and what do you see? Nothing much - just a hot, flat, dry place, with lots of sand, and no animals or people.
But look again. There are deserts with mountains, and deserts with snow. There are millions of people - some live in towns, and some move across the desert all the time. There are plants that live for hundreds of years, and animals that can sleep for months under the ground. When you look closely, the desert is a wonderful place, full of exciting things …(Word count 5,519)
Synopsis
Look at a desert, and what do you see? Nothing much - just a hot, flat, dry place, with lots of sand, and no animals or people.
But look again. There are deserts with mountains, and deserts with snow. There are millions of people - some live in towns, and some move across the desert all the time. There are plants that live for hundreds of years, and animals that can sleep for months under the ground. When you look closely, the desert is a wonderful place, full of exciting things …(Word count 5,519)
Children's Literature
Each entry in this useful series includes a quick fact-finder page, a general discussion on one page, typical animals, plants and the ecosystem they occur in, resources used by humans in this system, and ways in which, for better or for worse, the system is changing and evolving. A single experiment explores an aspect of the desert, and the book ends with a glossary (but no index), related references, web sites and addresses to contact for more information. Full color and contemporary photographs face each informative page. There are also maps that show the major locations of the world's deserts. All in all, a good beginning for exploring the world's ecosystems. Part of the "Bridgestone Science Library" series. 2001, Capstone, $17.26. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Susan Hepler