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Desert Song
In this lyrical evocation of the desert night, celebrated author Tony Johnston and Caldecott medalist Ed Young offer young readers an unforgettable look at the many plants and animals that thrive in this suprisingly lush and fragile wilderness.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2000
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About the author
Tony Johnston
142 books55 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Tony Johnston has written many acclaimed books for young people. She and her husband lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where they raised their children. She now lives in San Marino, California.
Tony Johnston has written many acclaimed books for young people. She and her husband lived in Mexico for fifteen years, where they raised their children. She now lives in San Marino, California.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 18, 2008
Johnston, Tony. Desert Song, Sierra Club Books for Children, unnumbered pages, picture book, realistic story.
Description: Desert Song describes the desert at night, focusing mostly on animals, the landscape and the sky.
Review: Desert Song is uncommonly lyrical for a modern picture book. The quiet story describes what happens in the desert after the sun goes down, conveying a lot of meaning with few words. Johnston spends a lot of time describing bats, focusing on their actions and movement. These bats "...race across the silent sweep of sand, their small mouse faces thrust into the wind." This kind of elevated language helps children understand that written words can be very different from spoken ones. At the same time, the words are short and the sentences are brief, so that kids are not overwhelmed. In addition to the prose, the illustrations are dusky and muted, using paper collage to convey cacti and wild boars in tones of black and dark blue.
This book, with its nighttime setting and hushed tone, is ideal for reading before bed. Kids in an energetic mood may not be ready to pay attention to the story.
Professional Reviews:
Grabarek, Daryl, School Library Journal, Dec. 2000.
Grabarek stresses the evocative combination of poetic text and illustration. While he doesn't explain how this combination appeals to children, I agree with his observation.
Engberg, Gillian, Booklist, Oct. 2000.
While also praising the text, Engberg believes that the illustrations are what really makes this book great. She places the audience at ages 5-8, and sees the book as a great curriculum connection between science and language arts. Initially, I would have thought that this book would appeal to a slightly younger audience, but I could also see this book working in an early elementary classroom, as well.
Description: Desert Song describes the desert at night, focusing mostly on animals, the landscape and the sky.
Review: Desert Song is uncommonly lyrical for a modern picture book. The quiet story describes what happens in the desert after the sun goes down, conveying a lot of meaning with few words. Johnston spends a lot of time describing bats, focusing on their actions and movement. These bats "...race across the silent sweep of sand, their small mouse faces thrust into the wind." This kind of elevated language helps children understand that written words can be very different from spoken ones. At the same time, the words are short and the sentences are brief, so that kids are not overwhelmed. In addition to the prose, the illustrations are dusky and muted, using paper collage to convey cacti and wild boars in tones of black and dark blue.
This book, with its nighttime setting and hushed tone, is ideal for reading before bed. Kids in an energetic mood may not be ready to pay attention to the story.
Professional Reviews:
Grabarek, Daryl, School Library Journal, Dec. 2000.
Grabarek stresses the evocative combination of poetic text and illustration. While he doesn't explain how this combination appeals to children, I agree with his observation.
Engberg, Gillian, Booklist, Oct. 2000.
While also praising the text, Engberg believes that the illustrations are what really makes this book great. She places the audience at ages 5-8, and sees the book as a great curriculum connection between science and language arts. Initially, I would have thought that this book would appeal to a slightly younger audience, but I could also see this book working in an early elementary classroom, as well.
April 30, 2017
I wanted to give this 4 stars, because Tony Johnston's text is poetic and beautiful, describing the desert and its life just before daybreak. However, Ed Young's pictures were at times confusing--I couldn't make out what was being depicted. For example, on one two-page spread, the text talked about a snake, but I couldn't see one anywhere in the picture. In another spread, the moths looked more like torn hunks of paper than moths. And yet his picture of the wolf baying at the moon is breathtaking. Beautiful and yet disappointing, this book is still useful for a look at life in the desert.
July 30, 2015
Johnston's verse is satisfying but it is Ed Young's visuals (palette range, textures, mixed media) that pulls this book up to its 5 stars, with his capturing the light, colors of terrain and sky, and wildness of the desert. My second reading brought to the surface how much Johnston's verse captures the audible qualities of the desert and night. 4.5 stars. (First read in October 2014)
June 20, 2013
This book describes the transition from day to night in the desert. It's written in poetic verse. The illustrations didn't have the same impact that the words did for me, but with a pair like Tony Johnston and Ed Young there is no downside. I really enjoyed this. Good simile use.
June 26, 2013
Visit the desert at night and view all the creatures that creep form their hiding spots to enjoy the splendors of the dark. Lyrical text is supported by pastel illustrations that showcase the artist's mastery of light.
March 27, 2009
The pictures in this book are great!
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December 21, 2010Cactus & Canyons - unit 5
Theme Library
Theme Library
September 25, 2012
Read to my daughter while studying biomes.
October 20, 2018
I don't think the writing was very good. Seemed to wax poetic. But the illustrations were beautiful.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews