Kate Messner - Over and Under the Canyon

For Mrs. Melissa Eaton and all of the English learners at
Mary Lou Cowlishaw School K. M.

For River and Jasper C. S. N.

Text copyright 2021 by Kate Messner.
Illustrations copyright 2021 by Christopher Silas Neal.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced
in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Messner, Kate, author. | Neal, Christopher Silas, illustrator. Title: Over and under the canyon / by Kate Messner ; with art by Christopher Silas Neal. Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2021] | Series: Over and under | Includes bibliographical references. | Audience: Ages 5-8. | Audience: Grades 2-3. | Summary: Over the canyon, the sun scalds the air, and bakes the desert mud to stone. But under the shade of the canyon hides another world, where bighorn sheep bound from rock to rock on the hillside, roadrunners make their nests in sturdy cacti, and banded geckos tuck themselves into the shelter of the sand. This book takes readers on a journey through the wonders concealed in the curves of the canyon, and all the secret life hidden in its arms Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2020041357 | ISBN 9781452169392 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781452169804 (epub2) | ISBN 9781452172101 (epub3) | ISBN 9781452172095 (kindle) | Subjects: LCSH: AnimalsCaliforniaAnza-Borrego DesertJuvenile literature. | Natural historyCaliforniaAnza-Borrego DesertJuvenile literature. | EcologyCaliforniaAnza-Borrego DesertJuvenile literature. | CanyonsCaliforniaJuvenile literature. | Anza-Borrego Desert (Calif.)Juvenile literature. | Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (Calif.)Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC QL116 .M47 2021 | DDC 591.754dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020041357

Book design by Riza Cruz.
Art direction by Amelia Mack.
Typeset in Jannon Antiqua.
The illustrations in this book were rendered in mixed media.

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclekids.com

H igh above, Swainsons hawks soar, circling in the morning-blue sky.

Stones crunch under my boots, and stink beetles skitter away. Tiny tracks lead to a crack in the rocks where kangaroo rats rest in the shade. Our trail heads into the canyon.

Whats down there? I ask.

Down in the canyon? Mom says.

Down in the canyon is a whole world of its own, where animals find shelter from the desert sun. Well feel cooler there, too.

Down to the canyon we climb, step by careful step. On the hillside above, a bighorn sheep bounds from rock to rock, showing us how its done.

We hike between walls that stretch to the sun. Over the canyon, a kestrel glides through a sliver of sky.

We scramble over rocks and squeeze between boulders. I have to turn sideways to fit!

Along the wall, a gecko scoots low to hide under a ledge. Down in the sand, a tarantula creeps, folding long, hairy legs into a crevice of her own.

Over the canyon, a young golden eagle spreads her wings, hunting for breakfast below. She swoops , and...

Whoosh! Brown fur and big ears blur past.

A jackrabbit takes cover in the rocks. The eagle will go hungry... for now.

Im hungry, too, so its time for a snack. When the walls spread out, we climb up to a cool, shady spot.

Not there, Mom says. That rocks taken.

It isby a red diamond rattlesnake whose scales glisten and gleam.

A roadrunner steps close. The snake lifts its tail.

A rattly hum fills the air.

Shh... , Mom whispers. Watch.

The roadrunner takes one long-legged step. Then another. I hold my breath and wait for the snake to strike. Then...

Snap!

The roadrunner catches its head in her beak. She devours her rattlesnake lunch while we munch on raisins and nuts.

Over the sand we walk. Our footprints follow, one set big and one small.

Were not alone. Mom points. A horned lizard has been here, toowith four feet and a squiggle of tail.

On through the sweltering midday we hike, up and down ridges, hot from the sun. A mule deer leaps up and gallops away. Weve interrupted his nap.

When will we be there? I ask as we climb a new hill. Im melting under the sun.

Right... now.

An explosion of wildflowers! Brittlebush, desert lilies, poppies, and monkey flowers, blossoming out of the sand.

We wander through the valley, and I dance between blooms, from yellow to purple to orange.