Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon
Book Review:
Coyotes are in Cactus Canyon and where they go, trouble follows! Four
young and rambunctious coyotes make their way into the canyon and start
to harass the desert animals who live there. First, they chase the cottontail
and bark at the cactus wren. They flush the quail from their cover in
the prickly pear cacti. Then they growl at the antelope squirrel. When
there are no more animals in the canyon to bother, they start fighting
amongst themselves! When they accidently roll onto a rattlesnake, she
shows them who is boss.
Jim Arnosky is both the author and the illustrator of this picture
book. The desert comes alive with his watercolor illustrations. The
animals are very realistically portrayed. The colors Arnosky uses are
bright pinks, blues, greens, and purple. He also uses shadows in an
interesting way, sometimes blacking out the animal shapes and calling
attention to the bright surroundings of the canyon.
The book deals with bullying, a great topic to talk about with children.
The coyotes are rambunctious troublemakers who bully other animals,
including each other. They soon learn what it feels like to be bullied
in turn.
Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon would be great for a variety of
age ranges and can be used in either a classroom or library setting.
It is both easy to read and understand. The book can be used to show
children the plants and animals that live in the desert. This would
be a great book for children who are studying the desert or animal behavior.
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