Mojave

by Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Tumbleweeds bounce and roll along the ground. Lizards dart, tortoises creep, and snakes glide out of sight. The Mojave Desert is a special place. Its landscape is powerful and mesmerizing.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Wendell Minor was born and raised in the town of Aurora, Illinois. Drawing and painting have always been an integral part of his life, and after completing his studies at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, Wendell began creating original designs for book publishers in New York City. His children's books have consistently exhibited his love for the land and environment.

Illustrating books for naturalist authors Jean Craighead George and Diane Siebert, among others, he approaches his art by researching and experiencing each environment he illustrates. His travels have taken him from the tropical Everglades of Florida to Barrow, Alaska in the Arctic Circle, from the Midwest to the Grand Canyon in the Southwest, and throughout the United States. In addition to picture books, Minor has created cover art and interior illustrations for novels for young people, including Jean Craighead George's Julie and Julie's Wolf Pack, and redesigned the cover for the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of the Newbery award-winning Julie of the Wolves. He has also authored several of his own books.

His books have consistently been named on the annual lists for Notable Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies, Outstanding Science Trade Books, and IRA Teachers' Choices. His books have also received the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and Parents' Choice Awards and been featured on PBS's "The Reading Rainbow."

Wendell has had numerous solo exhibitions, and his work can be found in the permanent collections of the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Illinois State Museum, Muskegon Museum of Art, Mattatuck Museum (of Connecticut), the Mazza Museum at Findlay University, the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Museum of American Illustration, NASA, Arizona Historical Society, U.S. Coast Guard and the Library of Congress.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, he serves on the Advisory Council for the Connecticut Center for the Book, and is a member of The Children's Book Council (CBC), a non-profit trade organization dedicated to encouraging literacy and the use and enjoyment of children's books.

Wendell and his wife and business partner, Florence, live and work in Connecticut with their cats, Sofie and Cindercat.

Reviews

[Leah Markum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book. Minor's art is gritty like the sand of the desert the book is based on, and Siebert speaks as though the desert as an entity is a poet writing about jack rabbits, ravens, burros, mustangs, rocks, and so on. It's a great, cohesive theme, and the words and illustrations fit together.

[Beverlee Jobrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what age level this book is rated for, but it is a lovely little book--part poetry, part art--about one of my most favorite places on earth.