one day in the desert

One Day in the...

by Jean Craighead George

‘A wounded mountain lion moves from his mountain habitat to a Papago Indian hut in Arizona’s Sonoran desert during a record-breaking July day. All creation adapts to the blistering heat until a cloudburst causes a flash flood. With a measured yet vivid style, this introduction to desert ecology makes a memorable impact." —SLJ.

Genres: Science, Nature, Animals, Childrens, Nonfiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Jean Craighead George wrote over eighty popular books for young adults, including the Newbery Medal-winning Julie of the Wolves and the Newbery Honor book My Side of the Mountain. Most of her books deal with topics related to the environment and the natural world. While she mostly wrote children's fiction, she also wrote at least two guides to cooking with wild foods, and an autobiography, Journey Inward.

The mother of three children, (Twig C. George, Craig, and T. Luke George) Jean George was a grandmother who joyfully read to her grandchildren since the time they were born. Over the years Jean George kept one hundred and seventy-three pets, not including dogs and cats, in her home in Chappaqua, New York. "Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behaviour and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories."

Reviews

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful Scholastic book by Jean Craighead George. She has written over 100 of them, some fiction, and some, like this, a story about the desert and the flora and fauna that live there. She is able to make the animals individual without giving them names or making them human. You still care about them and enjoy their daily struggles.
As before, I highly recommend her books.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one author that I loved as a child and so I always like to get my hands on her books. As this is a rather small book I chose to read it as a break and since it interested me in its title. And for once I have to say that I am a bit on the disappointed side since of it.

The book starts off introducing the reader to a mountain lion that has been injured by a poacher and even though he is the injured one there is a bit of a villainy cast given to him, which I didn't like. This was a strange vibe since most of the time Jean Craighead George has gone out of the way to cast her animal characters as being natural and neutral while showing them as they are meant to be even if means they are predators. Just perhaps she wasn't a cat person.

From there the story explains the background of the American deserts, explains their differences of them and which one is the background for the story. Then while moving her main character forward in his search she uses his movements to relate him to some other characters that share his environment. As a result the reader gets small bite-sized stories within the story.

As with her regular work it is quite informative and given in a simple reading style that is quite attractive to her readers. Young children who are moving into chapter books will find this book a nice bite-size read that isn't overwhelming although like the desert environment that she chose the book is a bit on the cruel side but not violently gorey.

Although I understand that Nature is fickle at her best I just didn't like the ending, especially when it came to the mountain lion. Then again even though I am an adult now and know best I was just hoping that the ending may have been slightly different than what was provided for the book.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some interesting animals and information in this book. But does this author have a thing against tarantulas? This is the second book that has a tarantula being killed some other creature. Usually a smaller bug. I was also disappointed to find a mention of evolution, as well as a mother and daughter thanking a dead animal for warning someone.
Not as interesting as some of the other books.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, short book about deserts! Love this author.
We had a wild Bighorn sheep walking in front of our neighborhood this morning so we stopped everything hopped in the car, followed him a little and took pictures. Once help arrived we came home to start our new nature journals and included this as our first entry for the year. Then read this book. Fantastic, spur of the moment learning. I am so thankful to God for opportunities like this! After reading this book it gave me several more ideas for nature journal entries on the desert we live in...krb 7/22/16

[Ari]

The book starts out with the setting, the day is breaking in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona a wounded mountain lion limps toward a Papago Indian hut. The lion fears people, but today he is desperately hungry. And he has caught the scent of Birdwing and her mother. All of a sudden a loud thunderclap warns Birdwing, the mountain lion, and all the creatures of the desert that danger is near. Soon enough a flood comes and washes over the land. Some don't survive.

[Willow · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the books in our desert-study line-up. We enjoyed this one; it was a quick, simple, but informative read, mostly narrative with a smattering of plain old fact. It did contain some evolutionary inferences, but not many.

[Marcus Gulley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wounded mountain lion moves from his mountain habitat to a Papago Indian hut in Arizona’s Sonoran desert during a record-breaking July day. All creation adapts to the blistering heat until a cloudburst causes a flash flood.

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice enough drawings, and fair descriptions of animals, but aside from the action, this book leaves somewhat to be desired. You can see more animals and learn more about them from National Geographic.

[Vin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rediscovered this one and it's still equally as good as it was back in the day.

[Jc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to desert wildlife in an easy-to-read story format.

[Braeden BOI · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was very intresting and good.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

4th grade novel study. Interesting information and pertains to 4th social studies, but a pretty dry story overall.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book for the naturalist in your family (young or old).

[Beverlee Jobrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book about a desert ecosystem! Beautiful in every way.

[Bunbun · Rating 1 out of 5]

stupid app

[Kailyn | Wonder. Wander. Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done, easy-to-read, super informative. Perfect for my 8 YO’s upcoming science curriculum on biomes of the world.

[Ashley Bigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because I live in the Sonoran Desert, I enjoyed this short little glimpse into life in the desert. It would be a great jumping off point to learn more about the animal and plant life found here.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how I would recommend this books to students. A short chapter book in a narrative style that manages to capture many scientific details. I want to tell stories like this...but the ending was rather abrupt. Still, I plan to read others in the "One Day" series, eventually.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for young children interested in nature, It was short (46 pages) and well-written with some illustrations. My son had some reading fatigue this summer so it was a nice way to re-engage him with a short, quality book.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of a fantastic series of differnt geo. areas. They are loaded with voc. and real animal/ enviroment behavior.

[Julie]

We spend a hot July day in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona observing the mechanisms plants and animals use to stay cool and following a wounded mountain lion who must get to water to survive.

[Mas5thgrade2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good book it had a story made up of facts if you ever heard the more you read the more facts or the smarter you get well i just learned a lot so its true
-thediamondback

[Lynn DiFerdinando]

Can't remember whether I read the prairie one too. Probably not. I remember this one and the rain forest one the most vividly.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this 3 stars, but that would be as a read aloud and study starter. To just read for fun would be more like a 2 - 2.5