I picked this up at a library book sale, thinking it might be a good addition to the shelf I keep stocked for my grandnieces' visits. The illustrations of desert flora and fauna are engaging, but I found the story of how the desert comes to life, and who eats what, a bit dry. It has a beautiful fold-out desert panorama at the end, however, as well as individual thumbnail portraits of all the animals and plants with their names attached. For that alone, I will keep it as a nifty little reference work. ( )