Desert Surprise Series

If your curriculum contains a unit on deserts check out this web site.  The books in the Desert Surprise Series are a unique combination of an easy to read  story for elementary school children and accurate information on desert life.  To make your planning easier each book has discussion questions at the end of the story.  These questions lead into lessons about; the ecology of the desert, the animals that inhabit the desert, the cacti of the desert.

These books can also be used to study art appreciation and artistic techniques.  The illustrator is a Professor of Art Education and her illustrations offer an impressionistic view of the desert.  The series books have discussion questions to encourage the reader to analyze and intemperate the art.  When art classes are being cut from curriculums across the country here is a way to integrate art appreciation into a reading or nature study lesson.  

The cover for Sarah’s Desert Surprise shows the prickly pear cactus in full bloom blowing kisses to the wind.

This illustration from Lindsey’s Desert Surprise depicts the dancing cactus she dreams about at the end of the book.

I have returned to Wisconsin until next January.  I will miss our Arizona desert home with the mountain backdrop, the wildlife and the cacti in bloom.

The second book in the Desert Surprise Series is written and ready to be published.  Sarah’s Desert Surprise is about the cacti in the Sonoran Desert.  The book contains beautiful, impressionistic illustrations by Mary Stokrocki.  It also has a reference page with photos I have taken of the various cacti.  Like Lindsey’s Desert Surprise, there are discussion questions at the end of the book.

Watch this site for some pages from both books.

Emily York, author of the Desert Surprise Series.

This deer is enjoying a leisurely dinner.

Why do you think there is such a difference between the painting of the deer and the photograph?

We don’t often think about earthquakes in the Midwest, however, there was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Friday, April 18th at 4:37 am Central Time located 6 miles ESE West Salem IL. The earthquake could be felt in Wyoming MI and the USGS site has reports from Madison & Middleton WI that it could be felt there also.

On February 21, 2008 at 6:16 PST, there was a 6.0 magnitude earthquake located 6 miles ENE Wells NV. Information reported on the USGS site, this earthquake was felt in Phoenix AZ, Laveen AZ and as far away as Tuscon AZ.

For more information on earthquakes, visit the U.S. Geological Survey site.

This website is also a blog so please join the conversation and leave a comment.  Scroll to the end of the post and click on the word, comments.  Then just follow the directions.  I would love to hear from you and you will be able to read the other comments. 

Check our our Educator’s Tab at the top the screen. We’ve added a page of ideas for making Lindsey’s Desert Surprise interactive.

If Lindsey looked at the foothill by Grandma’s house the other day she would have seen 6 mule deer among the yellow brittlebush and cacti. Learn more about the Superstition Mountains.

Lindsey’s Desert Surprise may now be purchased on-line with PayPal.  See our BOOKSTORE Page for more information.

Silly Mountain - March 2008

It has been a rainy winter which is good because it raises the water level. The desert turned green first and now the mountain sides are yellow with brittlebush and wild poppies. The roadside is orange with mallow, blue with lupine, yellow with poppies. While this is very beautiful, the fear is that it will dry out and there will be danger of wild fires.