Customer Reviews

Katie of the Sonoran Desert: Based on a True Story (English and Spanish Edition)

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This was a lovely story overall, very creative and interesting, and the artwork in particular was really excellent. I highly recommend this book to adults and children of all ages.

Katie of the Sonoran Desert (Katie del Desierto Sonorense) is just a wonderful book. Katie is a western diamondback rattlesnake, and this book tells an exciting and touching true story of her life in the desert. The book is written in English and Spanish and can be used as an interesting learning tool. I can read aloud in English, then practice my Spanish pronunciation and vocabulary, and then return to English to figure out what I missed. The story and information is interesting enough to keep me coming back to practice.

Halfway through the book, the story ends and a presentation of information in both languages including brief but fascinating descriptions of all the animals and plants contained in Katie's story, as well as the beauty and harshness of the desert environment. Finally, there is a nice introduction to the study of herpetology.

This book is well worth reading and re-reading, not only by young people learning to read and by good readers who enjoy an interesting story with fascinating illustrations, but also by English-speaking fogies like me who can use this book as a quick dip into a comprehensible and genuine Spanish language book.

Highly recommended!

Katie of the Sonoran Desert is a must have book for all ages. The story is beautifully written by Kate Jackson and gorgeously illustrated by Natalie Rowe. This is no ordinary book for children. Kate Jackson's story and Natalie Rowe's art brought Katie to life in my mind. Everyone should read this book.

Written by herpetologist Kate Jackson, this new book is based on a true story about a western diamond rattlesnack that Jackson tagged. It's written in third person from the snake's point of view. You see the snake get tagged, attacked by a couple of predators, have babies and protect them, and get rescued.

The story is good, but the detailed illustrations by Natalie Rowe are simply breathtaking and make this book a candidate for a classic. The illustrations aid empathy for snakes as much, if not more, than the text. The pencil drawings are wonderfully intricate and many animals and plants are shown.

The bilingual aspect is handled perfectly. Rather than have the story appear in one language and then the other, the English and Spanish text are adjacent. Thus a book that provides empathy for a snake is also a language-learning tool for English-speaking people learning Spanish and for Spanish-speaking people learning English.

The story is only half of the book. The second half is full of information about the animals and plants depicted in the book, studying herps, what herpetologists do, tips on how to become a herpetologist, herpetological techniques, and so on. A glossary defines words shown in bold in the story. The stunning illustrations are used throughout the book.

While it's a children's book, it's not meant for the wee ones. The story is told in large paragraphs of text using large type. I estimate the book to be appropriate for mid or upper elementary school children. But even if the text is too much for your kids, they will certainly love the illustrations.

Katie of the Sonoran Desert is a real-life natural history story complete with all the drama and suspense necessary to keep readers engaged. Illustrated with an authentic eye for the elements of the Sonoran Desert, the drawings give breath to the inhabitants of the tale. The bilingual book is packed with additional information on the plants and animals presented in its pages. "Katie" holds the keys to opening up any child's world to the study of natural history. The information is well presented for many age levels and so broad that the herpetology section at the end could help in making career decisions in college. I'm very impressed!

My copy arrived today and I couldn't be more pleased with it. The side by side translation is just wonderful, the artwork is breathtaking, and the educational portion in the back is great. I don't have enough words in my vocabulary to adequately express the talent that the story teller (Kate Jackson) and the illustrator (Natalie Rowe) possess. I was awestruck in the way the illustrator captured everything so well. She is truly a great artist.

I can't say enough great things about this book. I believe the book will change your opinions about snakes. It did mine.

En Espanol, tambien!

This large, hard cover, very colorful, nicely illustrated 2009 book is not just for children, but for anyone who wants to learn more about snakes and the creatures and plant-life in the Sonora Desert. It is actually based on a true story, as Herpetologists (scientists who study reptiles and amphibians) provide info based on their studies of snakes and other desert life. It is also a sizable book, big enough to provide lots of picture coverage and about 72 pages long. The book includes a full page map of the lower Southwest of North America (U.S. and Mexico/Baja California). The Sonora Desert begins in the southernmost sections of California and Arizona and extends into Mexico. The real Katie lives in the Sonora Desert of Arizona.

Katie is a meter long (almost 3 feet) Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. She is "captured" by Herpetologists who want to study her. They implant a tiny radio transmitter in her, and carefully release her back into the wild. The story is told from Katie's viewpoint as she hunts for food, fights off attack by predators, and cares for her litter. We learn about her enemy, the badger. Although her venom can kill him, it takes time to take affect as he slices with his dangerously sharp claws. The actual story is 43 pages, followed by a 10-page explanation of animals and plants of the Sonoran Desert, with pictures.

We learn about the:
* California Kingsnake
* Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
* Badger
* Coyote
* Kangaroo Rat
* Pocket Mouse
* Arizona Blond Tarantula (gentle giant of spiders)
* Black Widow Spider (often kills male after mating)
(guys--see how lucky you are to not be a spider)
* Cactus Long-Horned Beetle
* White-line Sphinx Moth
* Hummingbird
* Barrel Cactus
* Cholla Cactus
* Desert Hackberry
* Ocotillo
* Prickly Pears
(have tasted this in San Diego at cousin's house)
* Saguaro
You will likely recognize some of the cacti from having them, or a similar variety, as a houseplant.

There are 10 pages about Herpetology (the science) and Herpetologists, (the people) who study creatures such as snakes, toads, lizards, scorpions, and tarantulas. There are lots of interesting facts about the desert critters and plant life. The book also explains what fields of study are necessary to become a Herpetologist, where one might find work, techniques used (tagging, marking, radio-tracking), how to find and catch desert critters, and websites to find additional information.

There is a 6 page glossary of words used throughout the text, such as endotherms, burrow, herp). There are 2 pages about the author. The book ends with a full page, color map of the southwestern section of North America. (Now I finally know where Cabo San Lucas is.)

For my both my Spanish-speaking friends, who want to practice their English, and my English-speaking friends, who want to practice their Spanish, this book provides the full story in dual-language, page-by-page translation. As you travel through the desert with Katie, you do so in both languages. When I read this book, I immediately thought of a friend from El Salvador, who speaks little English. He and his wife have a one-year old daughter and they will be teaching her both languages. A book like this will be very beneficial to them.

Again, an exceptional book--very educational and colorful--It is probably for an 11 year old and up, but can certainly be read to someone younger. It was very interesting to me, and I am a wee bit older than 11 :-).