DESERT TOWN

The Geiserts (Mountain Town, 2000, etc.) observe a fourth American small town through a year's changes. Lying along litter-strewn railroad tracks beneath barren-looking hills, the hamlet seems deserted under the glaring sun, but once that sun goes down, the residents, who have been hanging out in the air-conditioned store and elsewhere, congregate beneath the stars for gabfests, Saturday night dances, and, in season, a Christmas play. Sometimes a dust storm whirls by, or, more rarely, rain or snow; buildings are damaged, repaired, or added to as a baby arrives, a kiss leads to a proposal, and so on. The text is still a series of generalities, but less wooden than in previous volumes: "When the sun rises, the family laundry is already hanging on the line. By the time breakfast is over, the laundry will be dry." A key to less visible events at the end will prompt insufficiently attentive readers to go back over the delicately drawn and colored aerial views, cross sections and inside peeks. City and suburban children especially will benefit from the reminder that there is more to this country than malls and high-rises. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10)