For the past two weeks we have been learning about nocturnal animals in the Sonoran Desert – pack rats, javelinas, bats, and coyotes. We will be learning about other nocturnal animals such as scorpions and owls later, but those animals fit better into other categories. I have sifted through quite a few picture books. Some I love, some I like, and some were okay.
One thing that surprised me was how often picture books about the Sonoran Desert also include the Native Americans’ beliefs. Sometimes there are subtle comments like, the wind is my brother, or something goofy like that. Some books really celebrate their beliefs. One book I really liked does have a reference to their religion (Coyote and Badger). When I read the book to my kids, I stopped and explained what it meant and why we have different beliefs.
Below are the books that we enjoyed reading together.
Desert Night, Desert Day by Anthony D. Fredericks
I used this picture book to introduce nocturnal and diurnal animals. It’s a rhyming story that great for ages 2-8. The story begins in the night and shows all the animals that are awake at night. It switches to the daytime and shows all the animals awake during the day. All my kids really liked this book.
Don’t Call Me Pig: A Javelina Story by Conrad J. Storad
This book is great because it’s short and to the point. It’s written in rhyme, which means your younger kids will enjoy it. It gives good information about Javelina such as their diet, where they live, and their physical features. Best of all, it’s got some humor.
Desert Night Shift: A Pack Rat Story by Conrad J. Storad
This is the same author as the javelina book. It’s also a rhyming story that contains facts about pack rats. Penny Pack Rat goes out at night to find a spoon. Other nocturnal animals are present. My kids didn’t know much about pack rats, which means we learned a lot from this book.
Bats by Gail Gibbons
This book is not specifically about bats that live in the Sonoran Desert. I couldn’t find a good picture book about bats in the Sonoran Desert. This book does however have a page with the Mexican Free-Tailed bats. They pass through Phoenix from May to October while they migrate south to Mexico. You can see these bats in the evening as they exit a storm drain here in Phoenix. I hope to go see them when May comes. The book explains what bats eat, where they live, and various types of bats. There are also some great diagrams of bats. Unfortunately, if you’re familiar with Gail Gibbons, she does include “facts” about evolution. She states that the oldest bat fossil is 50 million years old. When my kids were little, I would skip over that information as I was reading aloud. They didn’t know. Now, I stop and explain how evolution is wrong. Nevertheless, we still enjoy her books.
Borreguita and the Coyote by Verna Aardena
Borreguita is Spanish for “little lamb.” The story centers around a lamb who fools a gullible coyote so that she can avoid being eaten. In the end, the lamb is able to hurt the wolf. He then stays away from the little lamb. The two pages in the beginning have Native American artwork. I’m not familiar with Native American artwork, so I’m not sure what the illustrations mean.
Coyote and Badger by Bruce Hiscock
What I liked about this book were the illustrations. Apparently, coyotes and badger will actually hunt together. One page showed the underground tunnels of prairie dogs. The badger goes underground to scare the prairie dog and catch his prey. Meanwhile, the coyote waits at the opening of a hole for the scared prairie dogs to run out. The book shows how they help each other survive during a drought.
The part of the book that I don’t like as much is at the end. The coyote howls near an ancient Native American called a kiva (a place site of worship) and howls to the stars. Later, it rains. I think the author is showing how the coyote is desperate for rain. So he prays, or howls to the same god of the Native Americans.
It’s easy to see Arizona as place of dirt and dust. I grew up in Rhode Island where I was surrounded by a plethora of greenery. However, I find more beauty and appreciation as I learn more about the Sonoran Desert. I’m not a Sonoran Desert expert, but that also makes it more exciting as I learn with my kids about the nocturnal animals here. Happy reading! Until next time!
Carly from DesertHomeschoolDays.com
