These types of landscapes are found all around the world, and are generally low in rainfall. While the land is arid, desert animals like lizards, jackrabbits, and camels are common. They are also home to a variety of insects, spiders, and snakes. Many people are surprised to learn that arid areas are home to an amazing diversity of plants and animals.

Introduces the geography of deserts.

This is a compelling, eye-opening portrait of two communities in Philadelphia with drastically different economic resources. Over the course of their10-year investigation, the authors of this important new work came to understand that this disparity between affluence and poverty has created a knowledge gap--far more important than mere achievement scores--with serious implications for students' economic prosperity and social mobility. At the heart of this knowledge gap is the limited ability of students from poor communities to develop information capital. This moving book takes you into the communities in question to meet the students and their families, and by doing so provides powerful insights into the role that literacy can play in giving low-income students a fighting chance. Important reading for a wide audience of educators, policymakers, school reformers, and community activists, Giving Our Children a Fighting Chance: Documents how inequalities begin early and are reinforced by geographic concentration. Compares community libraries to see how print is used in each neighborhood and how children develop as young readers. Looks at patterns that create radical differences in experiences and attitudes toward learning prior to entering school. Explores the function of technology as a tool that exacerbates the divide between affluent students and those with limited access to information. Provides a comprehensive analysis of community literacy, documenting the transformation of media habits from books to computers. Concludes with a look inside schools to answer questions about what schools can do to overcome this complex, unequal playing field. Susan B. Neuman is a professor of Educational Studies at the University of Michigan, and has served as the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education.Her books include Changing the Odds for Children at Risk. Donna C. Celano is assistant professor of Communication at La Salle University in Philadelphia. “Giving Our Children a Fighting Chance depicts a stark reality: the enormous and growing divide in literacy and reading skill development between children growing up in poverty and children from the middle and upper classes—and the social and economic ramifications. This book should be required reading, not just for those in the education and policy fields, but for anyone who cares about the lives of children and the health of our society.” —Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO, First Book “‘By walking the streets, riding the buses, and taking the subways,’ Celano and Neuman give us a groundbreaking and sobering look at print and education technology resources in two neighborhoods, one wealthy and one poor. The result is a must-read eye-opener for anyone who cares about equal opportunity. The stuff of learning is essential but insufficient. Only with close teacher, parent, and student-to-student coaching can better print and technology resources make a difference.” —Eugenia Kemble, Executive Director, Albert Shanker Institute “The authors of this text make you CARE about these communities and children. They provide insights about how we must focus on literacy in order to make a real difference in the lives of students. This is one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of community literacy, documenting the transformation of media habits from books to computers.” —Linda B. Gambrell, Distinguished Professor of Education, Clemson University

Readers will learn about the four major desert biomes, which are hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold deserts. The text will focus on the climate and the very special plants and animals that are found in deserts around the world. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Abdo Kids is a division of ABDO.

Laugh and learn with fun facts about desert animals, cacti, sand dunes, and more—all told in Dr. Seuss’s beloved rhyming style and starring the Cat in the Hat! “You may think that deserts are empty and bare, but you’ll be surprised by the things we’ll find there...” The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library series combines beloved characters, engaging rhymes, and Seussian illustrations to introduce children to non-fiction topics from the real world! Journey through the deserts of the world and learn: how plants and animals have adapted to survive the unforgiving climate why deserts don’t have to be hot what causes us to see mirages and much more! Perfect for story time and for the youngest readers, Why Oh Why Are Deserts Dry? All About Deserts also includes an index, glossary, and suggestions for further learning. Look for more books in the Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library series! Cows Can Moo! Can You? All About Farms Hark! A Shark! All About Sharks If I Ran the Dog Show: All About Dogs Oh Say Can You Say Di-no-saur? All About Dinosaurs On Beyond Bugs! All About Insects One Vote Two Votes I Vote You Vote There’s No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System Who Hatches the Egg? All About Eggs Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures

Describes the nature and characteristics of deserts, where they are located, and how they are formed.

A venerable saguaro cactus stands like a statue in the hot desert landscape, its armlike branches reaching fifty feet into the air. From a distance it appears to be completely still and solitary--but appearances can be deceptive. In fact, this giant tree of the desert is alive with activity. Its spiny trunk and branches are home to a surprising number of animals, and its flowers and fruit feed many desert dwellers. Gila woodpeckers and miniature elf owls make their homes inside the saguaro's trunk. Long-nosed bats and fluttering white doves drink the nectar from its showy white flowers. People also play a role in the saguaro's story: each year the Tohono O'odham Indians gather its sweet fruit in a centuries-old harvest ritual. In this first volume of Sierra Club Books' Tree Tales series, a simple, easy-to-read text and appealing drawings document the life cycle of this amazing cactus tree and the creatures it helps to support. Readers will come away with a better understanding of and a lasting respect for this accomodating giant of the desert.

Warm deserts make up an estimated 1/5 of the Earth's surface and present unique challenges to the creatures, plants, and people that survive the temperature extremes. Desert is a detailed guide to some of the most inhospitable places on Earth, and offers spectacular full-color photographs to give readers an "eyewitness" view of life in the desert. See thestunning sand dunes of the Namib Desert, a Bedouin in full wedding dress, the desert in bloom, a jewel wasp, and a camel's regalia. Learn how sand dunes form, how a few honeypot ants store food for a whole nest in their own bodies, and howa mummy is preserved in sand. Discover why a Tuareg woman never uncovers her face, what makes a dromedary different from a Bactrian camel, the mystery of Timbuktu, and why some desert animals have big ears, and much, much more! Discover the harsh world of hot and cold deserts and the people, plants, and animals that live in them.

Ben Zhu's Dessert Island is an irresistible picture book about sharing and caring. Monkey is on a dessert island. It is made of frosting, berries, and other delicious things. Fox is on a desert island. It is made of dirt, rocks, and sand. But as time goes on, their fortunes change, and Monkey and Fox discover that no animal is an island. This wonderfully layered story has themes of consumption and conservation at its center, and wraps up with a sweet and satisfying ending.

A New York Times Best Illustrated Book From highly acclaimed author Jenkins and Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator Blackall comes a fascinating picture book in which four families, in four different cities, over four centuries, make the same delicious dessert: blackberry fool. This richly detailed book ingeniously shows how food, technology, and even families have changed throughout American history. In 1710, a girl and her mother in Lyme, England, prepare a blackberry fool, picking wild blackberries and beating cream from their cow with a bundle of twigs. The same dessert is prepared by an enslaved girl and her mother in 1810 in Charleston, South Carolina; by a mother and daughter in 1910 in Boston; and finally by a boy and his father in present-day San Diego. Kids and parents alike will delight in discovering the differences in daily life over the course of four centuries. Includes a recipe for blackberry fool and notes from the author and illustrator about their research.