Watching Desert Wildlife

Book Review:

The readers of Watching Desert Wildlife by Jim Arnosky can travel on a journey through the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts with him as he vividly describes and illustrates the living things that he sees along the way. Arnosky uses the first person to share how he and his wife Deanna spotted the wildlife that they saw. Watching Desert Wildlife gives comprehensive descriptions of animals such as roadrunners, snakes, lizards, Gila monsters, desert deer, hummingbirds, and many more. The reader is informed not only of the many variations of the animals, where they can be found, and why they are special, but also of the dangers of the desert. Although the book is mainly factual, Jim Arnosky personalizes the text with his own thoughts on the desert. He makes many comparisons between the wildlife of his homeland back east to what he sees in the Southwest. This book is a very lively nonfiction choice for readers who want to experience and appreciate the diverse wildlife and scenery of the southwest.

Jim Arnosky also illustrates Watching Desert Wildlife. Through his detailed illustrations, Arnosky shows that the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts are not dry and boring. The illustrations are colorful, large, and eye appealing. One of his illustrations is a roadrunner holding a snake in it's mouth. The reader can see that the illustrator took a lot of time with each and every feather on the bird, and each and every scale on the snake. One can also identify each type of animal because Jim Arnosky uses explanations and captions next to his illustrations and under the text. The illustrations enhance the text without overwhelming the reader.

 

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