Way Out in the Desert

Rating:
Summary: Clever usage of rhyme and song in a counting book which desc
Review: SUMMARY:

Clever usage of rhyme and song in a counting book which describes the animals and vegetation of the desert. Pictures are beautifully illustrated, animated but yet realistic. The book even includes a glossary and the sheet music.

CRITICAL REVIEW:

WAY OUT IN THE DESERT uses excellent rhyme and meter while the young reader searches for the hidden number within each picture. All the animals and vegetation are that of the Sonoran Desert. Each page briefly describes a characteristic of the creature and their habitat within the desert. The vocabulary is contextual in naming of the animals and plants of this desert. The remaining vocabulary is simple and repetitive. The counting scheme is the increasing number of each animal's babies. The pictures are wonderful. Each are vibrantly colored but the colors are representative of the real animal or plant. Each page has depth and texture and varies in perspective. It is a joy to look at and fun to read. Older readers would enjoy reading this book in discovery of the desert. It is best to read this to new or struggling readers-but do read it!

CURRICULUM APPLICATIONS:

This is an excellent book for all elementary ages. The basic skill is counting. From here it can expand in many directions, such as music, poetry, art, writing, creating special glossaries, studying the southwest states, desert life, desert plants and animals, habitats, food chains, botany, zoology, comparing and contrasting, etc. It can be used to create working groups within the classroom, each group being a different desert animal. The possibilities are endless. Meeting both authors is recommended. Both currently live in Tucson, AZ, and love the desert. I'm sure they have many stories to tell of their life there.

BOOK LINKS: HOME AT LAST - Nicolas D. Matzirakis THE TORTOISE AND THE JACKRABBIT - Susan Lowell, Jim Harris (Illustrator) MANY NATIONS: AN ALPHABET OF NATIVE AMERICA - Joseph Bruchac, Robert Goetzl (Illustrator) ONE GREEN MESQUITE TREE - Gisela Jernigan, E. Wesley Jernigan (Illustrator) ANIMALIA - Graeme Base COUNTING ON THE WOODS - George Lyon, Ann Olson (Illustrator)

BOOKS BY THE SAME ILLUSTRATOR: A CAMPFIRE FOR COWBOY BILLY - Wendy Ulmer HOW JACKRABBIT GOT HIS VERY LONG EARS - Heather Irbinshas

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely adorable summary of wildlife in the desert!
Review: This fun book tells "lyric-like" tales of some of the main creatures found in the southwestern desert. You can almost hear music when you read it! It's very clever! I highly recommend it for toddlers to second graders. The illustrations are great too. A really cute book!

Desert Songwriter/Patty Horn

Rating:
Summary: Clever usage of rhyme and song in a counting book which desc
Review: This fun book tells "lyric-like" tales of some of the main creatures found in the southwestern desert. You can almost hear music when you read it! It's very clever! I highly recommend it for toddlers to second graders. The illustrations are great too. A really cute book!

Desert Songwriter/Patty Horn