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Friends oF red rock canyon 5

By Sharon Schaaf

t has been several years since I’ve done a column featuring children’s book suggestions
I for holiday gift giving. All three of the books I chose are good for young children as read
alouds with adults or for children to read on their own as their reading skills develop in the
early grades.

n “Bighorns Don’t Honk,” author Stephen a dream his ancestors assure him that recording the
I Lester tells the story of the Rocky Mountain great deeds of his people is his destiny. As a reward
and Desert Bighorns using for using his talent, Little Gopher is given the abil-
rhythm, rhyme and repeti- ity to paint with the colors of the sunset. Tomie de
tion. At the same time, il- Paola is a marvelous storyteller and his illustrations
lustrator Nathaniel P. Jensen always add to the story and help bring it to life.
uses his delightful artwork
to add some sense of humor Roadrunners live only in the desert southwest
and human characteristics and Mexico. They are charming, unique birds and
to the animals in the book. while I’m glad they eat bugs, I am sad that they eat
Children learn about bighorn lizards. But as Conrad Storad points out in his book
sheep, large creatures who “Lizards for Lunch: A Roadrunner’s Tale,” roadrun-
can survive in our environ- ners also eat snakes
ment because they are good climbers with keen and I hate snakes.
eyesight and stick together in herds between eight Originally from
and 100 in size. The book ends with four pages of Ohio, Conrad Storad
interesting facts about bighorn sheep—there are now lives in Tempe,
seven kinds of bighorns; they can run 30 miles per Arizona and has
hour on the flat and up a rock mountainside at 15 written many science
miles per hour; and their population is dwindling. and nature books for
children and young
One of my favorite adults. Prescott,
children’s authors and Arizona residents Beth Neely and Don Rantz did
illustrators is award- the illustrations for the book using the area as their
winning Tomie de Paola. inspiration. There are quail, jackrabbits, snakes,
“The Legend of the hawks, cactus, lizards, insects, wildflowers, butter-
Indian Paintbrush” tells flies and mice interacting with the roadrunners all
the story of Plains Indian through the book.
Little Gopher who uses
his skills as a painter to All three books are available in Elements Gift
record the history of his and Book Store and at Amazon. Elements has many
people. Little Gopher is more books for children about the desert southwest
disappointed that he is that would make perfect gifts for children, grand-
not a warrior like the other males in his tribe, but in children or any other special kids in your life.

Fall 2017