Overview
Journey into the Desert is an exciting voyage through the dramatically dry world of the Sonoran Desert in the Southwest of the United States. Filled with vibrant color photographs of desert life-including a lizard that squirts blood from its eyes, scorpions that glow in the dark, and a real-life monster with a venomous bite--each page is a daring exploration of grand natural wonders and amazing animal feats of survival. John Brown provides young travelers with wide-ranging information, including:
· How to select equipment for the trip
· Interesting animal adaptations, such as the ingenious water-storage techniques of the cactus and the clever hunting abilities of the vulture
· Native American cliff dwellings, where people are thought to have lived for 1,000 years before suddenly disappearing
· Environmental impact of pumping water into the desert or allowing housing developments in this delicate place An accessible introduction to a world of spectacular extremes, Journey into the Desert gives young people a deep sense of the desert and its many contrasts -- beauty and danger, ruggedness and fragility, hot and cold -- and a well-rounded knowledge of the unique species that survive there.
Words and photographs guide the reader through a visit to the Sonoran Desert, examining the landscape, climate, plants, and animals found in this region of Mexico and the southwestern United States.
Synopsis
Journey into the Desert is an exciting voyage through the dramatically dry world of the Sonoran Desert in the Southwest of the United States. Filled with vibrant color photographs of desert life-including a lizard that squirts blood from its eyes, scorpions that glow in the dark, and a real-life monster with a venomous bite—each page is a daring exploration of grand natural wonders and amazing animal feats of survival. John Brown provides young travelers with wide-ranging information, including:
· How to select equipment for the trip
· Interesting animal adaptations, such as the ingenious water-storage techniques of the cactus and the clever hunting abilities of the vulture
· Native American cliff dwellings, where people are thought to have lived for 1,000 years before suddenly disappearing
· Environmental impact of pumping water into the desert or allowing housing developments in this delicate place An accessible introduction to a world of spectacular extremes, Journey into the Desert gives young people a deep sense of the desert and its many contrasts — beauty and danger, ruggedness and fragility, hot and cold — and a well-rounded knowledge of the unique species that survive there.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6-A young narrator takes readers on a camping trip into the Sonoran Desert, which covers parts of California, Arizona, and Mexico. Chapter by chapter, the colorful photographs and clearly worded, descriptive text in this slender photo-essay describe the necessary equipment for desert camping and exploring, the flora and fauna that will be seen, the dramatic landscape, and reasons for protecting this habitat. Desert activities are revealed following a torrential rainstorm when colorful wildflowers bloom quickly and noisy spadefoot toads use the resulting puddles in order to mate. Carnivores are depicted in action, from the Gila monster with a mouthful of dripping bird eggs to the Harris's hawk standing over a freshly killed young rabbit. The various cacti and their uses are depicted, with warning given that only the barrel cactus contains drinkable water. A chapter on the damage to this fragile ecosystem and its occupants that results from increased development rounds out the book. Even the glossary terms are well written in this excellent introductory work. Older students who wish to explore the Sonoran Desert in greater detail can turn to John Alcock's Sonoran Desert Summer (Univ. of Arizona, 1990).-Pam Spencer Holley, Young Adult Literature Specialist, Virginia Beach, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.