“Over on a Desert Somewhere in the World” by Marianne Berkes

Over on a Desert Somewhere in the World
Marianne Berkes
Dawn Publications (2018)
ISBN 9781584696308
Reviewed by Lydia Dehning (age 6) for Reader Views Kids (11/19)

“Over on a Desert Somewhere in the World” by Marianne Berkes is a spin on the children’s song “Over in the Meadow,” but this story teaches of different desert animals around the world. I liked getting to sing the song, learn about new animals, and learn where they live, on each page. On the first page, I learned about a camel and how they live in the Arabian Desert in Asia. Then on the other pages I learned about the gila monster, meerkat, dingo, armadillo, javelina, desert tortoise, jerboa, roadrunner, and the desert fox. I learned what the animal and their babies are called, as well as what they eat or what plants grow around them. The animals live in different continents, such as North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. I liked getting to look at each page and see what was on it, then my mom told me that there is an extra animal to look for on each page that also lives by the animal I learned about on its page. I really like this story because I love learning about new animals, especially ones I don’t get to see every day.

A Note from Mom: This book includes lots of information for both the child reading/hearing the story and the adult reading it. After the story ends, you learn about the factual parts of the story, as well as the fictional parts that are included to aid the overall story. Next, there are facts about the “extra/hidden” desert animals on each page, as well as more information about the animals mentioned in the story. If you want to get more out of this story, there are more ideas in the back on how to do crafts, ways to learn new vocabulary, and how to create a cacti garden. At the very end is the music to the original “Over in the Meadow” song, and how it goes with the words to this story. A must-read for all ages!