Desert Voices
Book Review:
Through poetry, Byrd Baylor expresses the spirit of the desert and
its gentle inhabitants. This book is enjoyable at any age or grade level.
It is a fun way to experience the life and voice of ten different desert
animals -- including the animal's thoughts and/or philosophy. This small
book is a nice complement to any level academic curricula including
science, English and art courses. It is brought together beautifully
in Peter Parnall's stunning watercolor drawings. Traditional to Southwestern
art, his detailed black and white drawings --speckled with tri-color--
emphasize the important message that animals in the desert have an abundance
of earth knowledge that we can all learn from.
Together Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall have created several worthy
books: The Other Way to Listen, I'm
in Charge of Celebrations, and three Caldecott Honor Books:
The Desert Is Theirs, Hawk, I'm Your Brother, and The
Way to Start a Day.
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