The Tinaja Tonight by Aimee M. Bissonette, illustrated by Syd Weiler

 This is a new nonfiction series from Albert Whitman. I was very interested to see how it was handled, as I don't really think of them as a nonfiction publisher. The idea is that the series, "Imagine this," focuses on various subjects from unusual perspectives and will inspire kids to think and imagine.

A tinaja is a pool where water forms in the desert - either from rainfall or melting snow. They might evaporate quickly or last a little longer. This book recounts a night in the desert, showing the different animals visiting the tinaja. The text is poetic and a little meandering, with short paragraphs expounding on the different animals, from javelinas to coyotes.

The art is shadowed with the blues and purples of nights, but still manages to incorporate lots of bright swatches of oranges and reds. It's more representative than detailed, with creatures slipping in and out of the shadows.

An author's note talks about the history of tinajas and there is a page of additional resources and titles about deserts.

This is an interesting new series and seems well-researched and put together. I'm not sure I'm sold on the art style, especially since the heavy use of dark colors would make this a difficult read-aloud, but if you want more books on deserts this is certainly different. 

Verdict: I don't have much call for nonfiction about deserts, but I'm intrigued enough by this series to look at some of the other titles.

ISBN: 9780807579497; Published September 2020 by Albert Whitman; Borrowed from another library in my consortium