Desert Day, Desert Night - Anthony D. Fredericks

Illustrated  by Kenneth J. Spengler

2011, Rio Nuevo Publishers

HC $15.95

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.25 (4 ratings)

My rating: 2-text and 5-illustrations (That's an average of 3.5)

Endpapers: Dark purple-blue

Illustrations: Colorful, detailed, special - this was what drew me to the book

Title page:  The only "white" page, but it has shades of lght brown around the edges.  A lone quail walks across the page.

"Can you find who is hiding in the shadows?  In every illustration look for a glimpse of the animals from the previous page and a hint of the animal from the next page.  Don't forget to spot the quail, too!"

1st verse:  Sonoran night,/ Dancing light,/ Shadows playing--/ Full moon bright.

My comments:  I love the illustrations! I love hunting for the animals in the shadows and the quail on every page.  I'm not so fond of the simple, four lined rhymed verses.  I imagine they're just fine for really young children, but somehow they seem a little forced to me, they don't flow and they're very simple.  The "field notes" in the back of the book are an excellent addition, I wouldn't even mind if they were ON the page they referred to.
Here are a couple of the pages:
     Stingers lash./ Whip, and dash./ Scorpions grab/ In a flash!
     Above the ground--/ High-pitched sound./ Tiny owls --/ fluffy, round.

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