Hoot and Howl Across the Desert: Life in the World's Driest Deserts

by Vassiliki Tzomaka

A beautifully illustrated and fascinating exploration of what life is like for animals in some of the world’s harshest desert environments, where only the toughest creatures survive. Discover the remarkable plants and animals that live in the world’s driest climates―both hot and cold! With beautifully illustrated landscapes, this book proves just how much life exists in the world’s deserts. Travel around the globe and encounter hundreds of rare and little-known plants and animals that thrive in dry environments. Learn about nocturnal species who occupy the deserts, common survival tactics, lethal creatures to watch for, and how the desert food chain functions. Hoot and Howl Across the Desert is an engaging investigation of some of the most extreme environments on Earth, from California’s Mojave Desert to the Arctic and from the Sahara to the Australian outback. With graphic illustrations that draw stylistically on folk art local to each desert, Vassiliki Tzomaka provides a level of detail that will satisfy even the most curious reader. Illustrated in color throughout

56 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2020

Reviews

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een leuk en prachtig getekend boek over de woestijnen die we op deze planeet hebben. Ik vond het wel apart dat de dieren patroontjes hadden op hun lijf. Het was op punten mooi hoor, maar ik vond het ook niet passen. Later komen we er dus achter dat het voor een reden is gedaan en toen kon ik het net wat meer appreciëren.
Ik vond het mooi hoeveel we leren over de woestijnen en dat de woestijnen allemaal belicht worden, van de grote tot de wat kleinere. En dan zijn er nog spotlights op dieren, planten, of andere dingen van de woestijn, erg interessant.
Ik heb dus genoten!

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hoot and Howl” investigates fifteen deserts across the world exploring a range of animals and plants, looking at how they adapt and survive in the harshest of environments.
Many assume that deserts are hot dry places with lots of sand but the definition of a desert is that it has less than 250mm of rain a year, and I was surprised to learn that they cover almost a third of the Earth’s surface!
Readers are taken from the freezing lands of the Arctic and Antarctic, through the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of North America, the Atacama and Patagonian deserts of South America, visit the Gobi in Asia, the Arabian and Thar deserts, not forgetting the Sahara, Namib and Kalahari in Africa plus numerous deserts in Australia. All these are identified on a world map and each desert features on a double-page spread. Information is delivered in bite-sized chunks and there are also pages devoted to particular aspects of desert life such as nocturnal animals, an oasis, the creation of sand dunes and venomous animals.
The highlight of this book, though, is the stunning illustrations. The front cover gives a hint of what’s inside with its vibrant vivid colours and these are continued inside with illustrations created using patterns from indigenous cultures around the world giving the whole thing a Naïve folk art feel. Absolutely gorgeous – and stunning end papers too!

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

With stunning illustrations inspired by the folk art of desert communities, Hoot and Howl Across the Desert is a show-stopper of a picture book. And once you've moved past the pictures to the text, you'll find it truly is the treasure you thought. With expository text about desert characteristics, specific deserts, plants, and animals, this non-fiction book informs as it whisks you around the globe. Can you tell I really like it? That's because it's not just facts and artwork – Tzomaka makes the deserts come alive for readers of all ages. Paragraphs dot the illustrations, explaining what readers are looking at; the language used is vibrantly descriptive without becoming too complex for a young audience. Hoot and Howl Across the Desert is a quite a find for nature enthusiasts (and even if you aren't one, it's hard to resist this book's appeal).

Note: A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't appreciate deserts until we moved to California. They are an incredibly interesting and beautiful habitats. This book is full of fascinating information about deserts. It covers everything - the different kinds (did you know there are three categories of deserts), the various plant and animal life that lives in different desert areas, and it dives in deep to many of the deserts around the world. I learned so much from these pages celebrating the deserts around the world. A must read nonfiction on a seriously cool topic.

[Asher Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, vibrant illustrations and educational. My sons (5 & 3) absolutely love this book and my older daughters love the graphics. I hope to see more from this author!

[Bon Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was very informational. I learned a lot about animals and plants that live in deserts.

[Gladimore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Information was acceptable, but I didn't appreciate the illustrations. Strange colors and patterns that made it hard to see the true beauty of the natural animal.

[Marialexa Olivera-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a wonderful book! It’s been a real hit with my 12-year-old animal-mad daughter (and me!!!). The author takes us through a whirlwind tour of the main deserts in the world, offering fascinating tidbits about the plants and animals that (amazingly!) thrive in them. There was so much we didn’t know!. But the best thing of all: the gorgeous illustrations! They are beautiful artistic recreations of nature, full of vibrant colours and lovely little details. My daughter and I had great fun trying to pick our top-5 animals – an impossible task!!! I can see myself buying many copies of this book for our friends!