This Place Is Dry

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-- Arctic Alaska and the Sonoran Desert of the southwest are described in these colorful companion volumes. The information is excellent, and Cobb's text is well presented and accurate, but the format leaves much to be desired. Lavallee's beautiful full-color primitive paintings are colorful and dramatic, but these interesting science books cry out for either color photographs or careful, accurate scientific drawings. Although the print is large and uncluttered, it often overlaps the illustrations, which will present difficulties to many young readers. These two volumes are fine for interested browsers or advanced nonfiction picture book readers, but students will find other books, such as the ``New True'' series (Childrens) to be more useful for assignments. The ``Imagine Living Here'' books have no indexes or chapter headings, but new or difficult words are carefully explained in the text and pronounciations are given in parentheses. Special or regional collections will probably want to include these, but most collections will find them supplementary titles best used for displays or general nonfiction reading. --Rosanne Cerny, Queens Borough Public Library, N.Y.