If you know a kid who is old enough to read, color or do puzzles and has an interest in Arizona, these books with Southwest and Arizona themes would make the perfect gift.
1. A-Maze-Ing Arizona
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Does your child love maze puzzles? I know I do! This book has 35 wonderfully illustrated mazes, each with a different Arizona topic. Chile peppers, pottery, scorpions, Petrified Forest...they are all fun.
2. Kokopelli's Flute
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A boy deals with the magical powers of a flute after he cannot resist blowing into it. The boy lives near cliff dwellings, and there are descriptions of petroglyphs and history of the area as a backdrop to the mystery. Ages 9-12.
3. The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit
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The Southwestern version of the tortoise and the hare story, the race takes place in the desert with typical desert creatures in the background. For ages 4-8.
4. Watching Desert Wildlife
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The author also illustrates this book for people ages 9-12. Included are Gila monsters, snakes, lizards, birds of prey, desert deer, pronghorn antelope, and bighorn sheep, and facts about each.
5. The Great Southwest Activity Book
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Designed for ages 4 - 8, there are crosswords, word find puzzles, mazes connect-the-dots, hidden pictures, and free-form coloring. Any child visiting Arizona will learn about the area while they have a blast filling in the pages of this book.
6. Deserts
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Deserts has 4 to 8 year-olds as its target audience. There are lots of neat desert facts, and nice, colorful pictures. It is a difficult topic to cover in a children's book without getting too technical!
7. Don't Call Me Pig: A Javelina Story
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A book for ages 4 through 8 by Conrad J. Storad. Children will learn the real story of this unusual desert creature through the use of rhyme. Also includes javelina facts and history for the adults in the house.
8. Way Out West Lives a Coyote Named Frank
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Nicely illustrated in pastel colors, Frank the Coyote tells us about his friends who live in the desert with him. Mostly a picture book, but indicates it is for ages 4-8.
9. One Day in the Desert
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An introduction to the ecology of the desert. Not so much a story as a description of the flora, fauna and environment of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. Includes an index. Sketch-type black & white illustrations. Ages 9-12.
10. Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport
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A young boy from New York is worried about what life will be like when he moves to the West where he thinks there are cowboys everywhere and gila monsters at the airport and people ride horses to school. This book for children ages 4-8 will help to ease anxieties about moving out west.
