Lizards for Lunch: A Roadrunners Tale (Library Binding)

~ Conrad J. Storad (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Roadrunners are speedy, fearless, and when they do take time out from ruling the desert scrublands and meadows they call home, they enjoy a tasty snack of... lizards? It's true! The aptly titled Lizards for Lunch: A Roadrunner's Tale provides you, the reader with a glimpse of the world as it is known to the speedy roadrunner. Far from the cartoon character many people are familiar with, the life and habits (eating and otherwise) of the roadrunner are accurately depicted in this book though a witty rhyme and fantastically vibrant illustrations. You will see something new each time you adventure into this book and the roadrunner's world. And you will gain an appreciation for not having the uncertain life of a lizard, or as the roadrunner would see you - as lunch! --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Conrad J. Storad grew up in Barberton, Ohio, amidst the belching smokestacks of tire factories, steel mills, and auto assembly plants. He didn't see his first javelina, saguaro cactus, scorpion or rattlesnake up close and personal until 1982, when he began graduate school at Arizona State University. Currently, Storad is the editor of the national award-winning ASU Research Magazine, and is the founding editor of Chain Reaction, a science magazine for young readers. He is also the author of many science and nature books for young adults, including the titles: Don't Ever Cross That Road!, Don't Call Me Pig!, Little Lords of the Desert, Tarantulas, Scorpions, Sonoran Desert A to Z, and Saguaro Cactus. Storad lives in Tempe, Arizona with his wife Laurie and their miniature double dapple dachshund, Sophie. They enjoy hiking and exploring the wilds of the Sonoran Desert.

Beth Neely and Don Rantz met while studying Fine Art at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona . They soon discovered a mutual attraction to the outdoors, gardening, cooking, reading, and each other. They married in 1993 and began their artistic and lifelong collaboration. Presently, they reside in a small historic bungalow in Prescott, Arizona with their two cats, and a backyard menagerie of birds, lizards, raccoons, skunks, coyotes and even a small herd of javelinas. These surroundings provided them with the means from which to draw inspiration as the illustrators of the children's book Don't Call Me Pig! which preceded their work in Lizards for Lunch: A Roadrunner's Tale. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: RGU Group (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891795023
• ISBN-13: 978-1891795022
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,932,320 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great New Science Book, June 28, 2000

By	A Mom (Texas) - See all my reviews

Told in rhythmic verse and containing wonderful water color illustrations of desert nature scenes, this book introduces many facts about roadrunners in a way that children will love and not soon forget. My 8-year old loves this book, and so do I!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lizards for Lunch: A Roadrunner's Tale, February 15, 2000

By	Lisa Haynes (U.S.) - See all my reviews

My kids (3 and 5) love this book! They don't have many other books that make them laugh so consistently (and teach them wonderful things at the same time). Storad and Atwood have hit upon a great combination of entertainment and education where the desert is concerned!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars odd, intense pictures, story does not track, July 22, 2004

By	a reader in DFW - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lizards for Lunch: A Roadrunner's Tale (Paperback)

We sure are sorry to write a less than thrilled review for a book that looked and sounded so good. Our 3-year old daughter was really looking forward to receiving this book and, possibly, taking it to share with her class for "desert" week. We love roadrunners; she's had a stuffed one from a trip to AZ since she was less than a year old.

This book was so disappointing. The photos are scary on a majority of pages: boldly colored, large, wide-open mouthed roadrunners with bugged eyes chasing wildly after bugs and lizards. The story itself is about roadrunners often settling for non-lizard meals, but craving and madly pursuing lizards to eat.

Theme aside, the story itself could track so much better from page spread to page spread. The authors tried to do too much. The theme of roadrunners hotly pursuing frightened lizards and bugs to eat is interrupted with pages here and there about the physical description and vocalizations of roadrunners. The result is a badly disjointed story line. Even the "chorus" does not flow with rhymes on preceding or subsequent page spreads.

We did like the rhymes in the book, but they are almost entirely overshadowed by the poor flow of the story and the frightening pictures. The book is absolutely not worth purchasing for the rhymes alone (they are not that consisent or good). The book could be so much better if it either stuck only to the theme of "what roadrunners eat" OR (in our opinion a better choice) "all about roadrunners".