In The Desert, written by David Elliott and illustrated by Gordy Wright. Candllewick Books, Penguin Random House. 2025. $24.99 ages 6 and up

"THE SAND CAT 

She looks as if
she might just be 
the family pet, 

that is to say, 

mild, domestic. 

Yet like her 
roaring cousins

to the south, 

she is - 

in her small way - 

majestic."

I have long been a fan of David Elliott's work. His eight other books about animals and where they live were always a part of the poetry workshops I did in schools, in an effort to have children give poetry a try. Those books were mentor texts to help them see how focusing on one habitat and doing research to investigate its inhabitants gave them a starting point for thinking about their writing.

His new book honors the Sahara Desert and its native dwellers. The first of fifteen poems is about the desert itself. Fourteen different creatures follow on double-page spreads that offer a clear look at each, and the environment that is their home. The language is, as always, expressive and often ingenious. At times, the author speaks directly to the featured creature. At other times, he offers an apt description. 

Gordy Wright's digitally finished gouache and acrylic images bring the Saharan landscape to full life as background to his realistic, often aggressive, desert denizens. There are times when they appear to be looking directly at the reader, offering both intimidation and charm. That depends on the creature depicted. The Painted Dog's steely stare sparks alarm, while the gentle gaze of the Sand Cat oozes grace.

Back matter offers very useful further information in Notes About the Sahara Desert and the Animals. The Sahara Desert is not nearly as desolate and forbidding as one might have come to believe. 

"The Dung Beetle: Dung beetles make their living by forming balls of the waste of other animals and rolling them back to their nest. Maybe that seems kind of gross. But think aobut this before you dis these tiny workers: they navigate the desert by the Milky Way, enabling them to find a straight line back home. Like GPS, but way cooler."

If this post has whet your appetite for more by this outstanding poet, you can check out In the Woods, At the Pond, On the Farm, In the Wild, In the Sea, At the Poles, On the Wing, and In the Past.