I Am the Thirsty Desert: Eureka NonFiction Honor Book

Chosen as a Children's Book Council Hot off the Press book!   2023 Eureka! Nonfiction Honor Book from the California Reading Association       Award-winning science writer Darcy Pattison presents a superbloom from the desert’s point-of-view. When a sudden downpour, a monsoon, falls in the desert, plants and animals explode with growth. Plants sprout, bloom, produce seeds and die within a couple days. Likewise, in a week, animals hatch, grow, mate, lay eggs, and return to hibernation or estivation. Strong lyrical text takes on the persona of the desert as it watches seeds it has cradled become flowering plants. “…I’m flooded with redbluegreenyelloworangepurple and buzzing with life— gorgeous, outrageous, frail LIFE!” As the heat builds, the desert grieves that the color and life is so brief. “One day they bloomed, a single day, a rare day—already yesterday.” The natural life cycles of the desert depend on rain. Explore this fascinating environment during one of its most spectacular dis