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The third gift
Park, Linda Sue
A young boy learns his father's trade by observing the use and importance of resin from certain trees. One day becomes an important day for the family - and especially for the young boy - when they exchange tears with three merchants who are off to see an important baby.

Alejandro's gift
Albert, Richard
A lonely man plants a garden full of vegetables in the middle of the desert. A wide array of desert wildlife finds their way to his garden and watering hole. He wants to be friends with the animals and help them.

Armadilly chili
Ketteman, Helen
Billie decides to make armadilly chili. She asks her friends to help her but they are all busy and do not want to help. After Billie makes the chili, all of her friends knock on her door. Billie will not let them eat because they wouldn't help. She soon realizes her chili is missing something: her friends!

Close your eyes
Banks, Kate
A tiger is afraid to close his eyes and go to sleep because of the darkness. His mom tells him all the things he can see in his sleep and assures him she will protect him.

Moon over the mountain/ Luna sobre la montana
Polette, Keith
A retelling of a traditional Asian tale in which a discontented stone-cutter is never satisfied with each wish that is granted him. Set in the desert Southwest.

Hosni the dreamer: An arabian tale
Ben-Ezer, Ehud
Hosni is a shepherd who spends his days telling stories to his sheep and his nights dreaming about the city. When he finally has the opportunity to travel to the city, his life changes. He hears some special words of wisdom from a wise old man.

The best mariachi in the world/ El mejor mariachi del mundo
Smith, J.D
Gustavo wants to be in the family mariachi band, but he cannot play the violines, trompetas, or guitarrones. He finds his place in the band with his singing talent.

Apples to oregon
Hopkinson, Deborah
Loosely based on a true pioneer story, this tale describes the trip of apples across the country. When Papa decides to travel the Oregon Trail, he refuses to leave his beloved fruits, especially the apples. Building a wagon to carry his trees, the family forges rivers, endures hailstorms and droughts, and deals with nasty Jack Frost. Papa has the help of his children (and their clothing) to save his trees.

Zoom
Banyai, Istvan
These artistic scenes aren't what you might think. Each is really a picture within a picture. Images zoom in and out from different perspectives and scenes from land, sea, and air in this wordless book.


We

We

Schertle, Alice
Describes the emergence of humankind out of Africa, charting the course of human development from seven million years ago to today, highlighting the development of diversity among peoples and our ability to invent and discover.

Cool time song
Schaefer, Carole Lexa
After a hot day on the African savannah, the animals begin to move and make sounds in the cool air of evening.


African beginnings
Haskins, James//Benson, Kathleen
Come explore and celebrate the powerful impact people of African descent have made on world history and on the American experience.

The desert alphabet book
Pallotta, Jerry
A reptile, insect, or animal is found in its environment or habitat as you learn your ABC's.

The yellow balloon
Dematons, Charlotte
A balloon travels through the air and around the world. While sailing through the air, the balloon fly's over many different people and places (a wordless book).

Old granny and the bean thief
Defelice, Cynthia
Granny loves her beans any way she can get them. A mischievous thief steals Granny's beans three nights in a row. She embarks on a journey to tell the sheriff about the thief. Along the way she makes several friends. They help Granny stop the thief in a very unique fashion.

Deep in the desert
Donald, Rhonda
Variations on traditional children's songs and poems will have children chiming in about cactuses, camels, and more as they learn about the desert habitat and its flora and fauna. A tarkawara (kangaroo rat) hops on the desert sand instead of a kookaburra sitting in an old gum tree. And teapots aren't the only things that are short and stout-just look at the javelina's hooves and snout. Travel the world's deserts to dig with meerkats, fly with bats, and hiss with Gila monsters! Whether sung or read aloud, "Deep in the Desert" makes learning about deserts anything but dry.

Amy's travels
Starke, Kathryn
Come along with Amy on her wonderful journey to all seven continents on earth. Read about the desert in Asia, the rainforest and jungles of Africa, the mountains of South America, and the cities of Europe. Feel the bitter cold of Antarctica, go on a safari, and meet people around the world who speak different languages. Traveling to brand new places is one of the most exciting ways to learn, and it's a trip you'll never forget!

Letters to a soldier
Falvey, David// Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth-grade class
A collection of letters written by Mrs. Julie Hutt's fourth grade class to 1st Lieutenant David Falvey during his tour in Iraq. Read the students' letter to Lieutenant Falvey and his responses back to each individual student. Pictures of the letters, students, and Lieutenant Falvey's safe arrival back to the states are included!

Safari journal
Talbot, Hudson
Carey is a young boy who goes on vacation to Kenya with his aunt. While there he learns about the culture and all of the animals.

My yellow ball
Lillegard, Dee
Five times a young girl throws her ball into the sky. With each throw, her imagination grows more and more as her ball travels to different parts of the world where it encounters various people and animals. On her last throw, the ball strikes a star and the girl makes a delightful wish.

We hide, you seek
Aruego, Jose//Dewey, Ariane
Take an active part in playing hide-and-seek with the pictures in this book! (A Wordless Book)

Home on the bayou: A cowboy's story
Karas, G. Brian
Ned, a cowboy, and his mom leave their home in the West to move to the swamp. Ned hates the swamp and mean Big Head Ed at school. Big Head Ed picks on Ned because he is a cowboy. One day Ned becomes a hero at school when he uses his lasso to quiet Big Head Ed.

The desert mermaid (La sirena del desierta)
Blanco, Alberto
The last of the desert mermaids is found living in an oasis in the Sonara desert. An Indian and his horse take her on a journey to find the roots of her ancestors. Here she finds the gift of song and can finally join the thousands of mermaids riding the waves.

Airplane ride
Florian, Douglas
A pilot flies across the United States and sees nature in all its grandeur.

Listen to the desert
Mora, Pat
With a combination of lyrics in English and Spanish, this poem describes different sounds of the desert. Each page describes new sounds for a frog, coyote, rain, wind, and snake.

And if the moon could talk
Banks, Kate
A young child gets ready for bed. Her father reads her a book, and her mother tucks her into bed. Soon, she is fast asleep and dreaming. The moon watches from outside as the world prepares for nightfall.

Saving sweetness
Stanley, Diane//Karas, G. Brian
Sweetness is a small orphan girl who runs away from Mrs. Sump's orphanage. When the sheriff goes out to look for her, Sweetness saves his life with food and water. She also saves him by dropping a rock on mean Coyote Pete's head. The sheriff ends up adopting her and seven of her friends.

The three little javelinas
Lowell, Susan
Cousins of pigs (known as javelinas) attempt a daring rescue from the hungry coyote. The angry coyote huffs and puffs to blow the house down of the first and second javelinas--but not the third!The hungry coyote has a sizzling surprise in the adobe house where the three little javelinas live happily ever after.

Little red cowboy hat
Lowell, Susan
Little Red Cowboy Hat is sent to her Grandma's house to cheer her up. Along the way Little Red runs into a wolf but escapes. When she arrives at Grandma's, Little Red finds the wolf in Grandma's bed!Fortunately Grandma saves Little Red before she is eaten by the wolf.

Oasis of the stars
Economakis, Olga
A desert family has to move constantly to be near a water supply. The young son of the family decides he is tired of moving. Using ingenuity, he digs a hole until he hits water. The family builds a well and the boy has his wish granted.

They thought they saw him
Strete, Craig
A little chameleon is very smart. He uses his wisdom to hide from all the different animals that try to capture and eat him. By changing colors quickly he is able to outsmart the animals.

The sign painter
Say, Allen
A boy with a love of painting wanders into town looking for a job when he sees a sign painter. Together, they go into the desert, painting a dozen billboards with just what was ordered, a woman's face and a single word, Arrowstar. Not understanding the meaning behind these billboards in the middle of the desert, the boy longs to paint beautiful landscapes instead. Still, the sign painter insists they stick to the order. Near the end of their journey, they learn the dream behind the billboards and the boy remembers a dream of his own.

The unbreakable code
Hoagland Hunter, Sara
A young boy is insecure about moving away and leaving what is familiar to him. His grandfather tells about the time when he felt the same way and how he grew proud of his accomplishments.

The fourth wise man
Summers, Susan
Atraban is the fourth wise man who is to go see the new born King of the Jews. He never meets the Messiah, but during his travels he is able to help many people with the gifts he carries for the King. After years of travel, Artaban still hasn't met his King, but before both men die Artaban hears the voice of the Messiah.

Big moon tortilla
Cowley, Joy
Marta Enos finishes her homework and accidentally knocks it out the window. She doesn't know what to do so she asks her grandmother for help. With a song and a warm tortilla, Grandmother helps Marta feel better.

Nature's paintbrush: The patterns and colors around you
Stockdale, Susan
If you take a look in nature, colors and patterns are all around us. The tiger uses his stripes to hide in the grass. The patterned spines on a cactus protect it from predators. What makes these plants and creatures beautiful also protect them as well.

Lost
Johnson, Paul Brett//Lewis, Celeste
A little girl loses her dog Flag in the desert. She and her dad search for a month, but there is no sign of Flag. One day, when the girl returns home from school, she notices an old truck in her driveway. A man found Flag and brought him home!

Elf owl
Buff, Mary//Buff, Conrad
Desert life is described through animals, plants, and the weather patterns. There is always a need for water in the desert.

The day of ahmed's secret
Heide, Florence Parry//Gilliland, Judith Heide
Ahmed has a secret which he keeps all day long. Tonight he will tell his secret to his family but first he has work to do. Ahmed works in the loud and crowded city. The sights and lovely sounds fill his day while he works. When at last he has done all of his work, he can reveal his secret.

How the camel got his hump
Kipling, Rudyard
When the world was brand new camal had no hump. He did not work, only idled in the desert. This upset the other animals who told a magic man. This magic man gave the camel his hump so he can work for three days without food and water.

The sky jumps into your shoes at night
Tomkins, Jasper
The sky holds many roles and responsibilities in our lives. From every word that is spoken to every beautiful thing in nature, the sky is always present and ready to play. The sky is always with us, touching everyone of us in every moment.

Desert song
Johnston, Tony
Desert activities are not done when the sun goes down. The bats come out of their cave at night to hunt and move from their daily slumber. The coyote howls alone as the moon shines above. The insects search for sweet fruit. The desert holds many secrets for those who listen to the song.

This land is your land
Guthrie, Woody
The traditional lyrics of the popular song, This Land Is Your Land, are combined with painted illustrations that represent the words and meaning of the song. America and her countryside are portrayed in a positive light through the text and illustrations.

Gold fever
Kay, Verla
In a rhyming story a farmer joins a group of miners to look for gold. They travel through praries, deserts, and mountains panning for gold but never find much. The farmer, after finding no gold, leaves the miners to go back home to his farm and family.

Juan tuza and the magic pouch
Mora, Francisco X
Two friends, an oppossum and a prairie dog, live together. After being warned by their landlord to pay the rent, they receive a magic bag after saving a coyote's life. This bag takes them on a very exciting adventure.

Jack, skinny bones, and the golden pancakes
Helldorfer, M.C.
An orphan boy befriends Skinny Bones, the dog of a hot-tempered old lady named Granny Trick. Together the boy and the dog must not only out smart Granny, but even the devil himself!

Tulip sees america
Rylant, Cynthia
When he is finally old enough, a young man drives his dog, Tulip, from Ohio to the farms of Iowa. They also experience the skies of Nebraska, the winds of Wyoming, the mountains of Colorado, the desert of Nevada, and the ocean of Oregon. Each place shows a new and wonderful part of America.

The mission bell
Politi, Leo
Diego is taught by Father Serra that there is always a mission in life. Diego learns that you must learn to accept and love people for who they are and in turn, they will teach you.