In the Desert : In the Desert (9780307496126) by Jan (ILT) J. C.; Gerardi Greenburg Page B

mounds rose high above the grass.
    They look as big as skyscrapers to me
, thought Andrew.
But they’re probably as tall as Uncle Al
.
    Far away a huge wall of rock glowed orange in the sun.
    But there was no jeep, no Uncle Al. This wasn’t the part of the desert they had been driving through.
    “Where
are
we?” asked Judy.
    Andrew shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe Uncle Al will know when he calls us back. There’s a little shade under this bush and we’ve got the puddle for water. We can wait here till Uncle Al comes to get us.”
    Cheweeet! Chweet! Ch … ch … ch … Chaweeet
!
    A flock of brightly colored birds, blue ones and green ones, swooped overhead.

    “Parakeets!” said Judy.
    meep
… “Lotsa birds in desert,” said Thudd. “Lotsa bugs for birds to eat.”
    “I don’t see any bugs,” said Andrew.
    Judy tucked herself close to the stem of the bush. “
We’re
bug-sized, Bug-Brain!”
    meep
… “Some bugs got colors that hide them,” said Thudd. “Called camouflage. Other bugs just hide.”
    “KAA-muh-flahj” flashed across his face screen.
    “Look!” said Thudd. He pointed to a dark bump in the shady sand under a twig.
    Andrew crept over to see. The bump had two wiry antennas sticking out of it—and two round black eyes!
    “Aw,” said Andrew. “A dead bug.”
    “Noop! Noop! Noop!” said Thudd. “Live cricket. Bury itself in sand to hide, to keep cool. Sand cool underneath.”
    Suddenly something snapped around Andrew’schest from behind. “YEEEEOUCH!” he hollered as sharp spines dug into his ribs.
    Andrew’s feet made a tiny trail in the sand. Then something dragged him up into the bush.

“
Androooooo
!” hollered Judy. She grabbed on to Andrew’s feet and pulled.
    Andrew looked up at a pair of huge, toothy pliers—open wide! “Bug jaws!” hollered Andrew.
    meep
… “Katydid!” said Thudd. “Kinda big grasshopper. Eat leaves. Eat bugs!
    “Katydid got good camouflage. Hide in bush. Look like twig. Wait for prey.”
    “It could bite my head off with one chomp!” said Andrew. His heart was beating like a bongo drum. Frantically he tried to pry the katydid’s stiff legs off of his chest.

    The katydid was dragging him up into the bush.
    meep
… “Katydid hide from birds,” said Thudd.
    Plump
…
Plop
…
Ploop
…
    The sound was coming from the puddle. Andrew craned his neck to look. The puddle was bubbling!
    Two big black eyes the size of marbles popped out of the puddle. They staredunblinkingly in Andrew’s direction. The creature slowly crept toward the edge of the puddle. Its body looked like a round, puffy brown cushion.
    Mwaaah … mwaaah … mwaaah
…
    meep
… “Water-holding frog!” squeaked Thudd. “Drink lotsa water when rain come to desert. Then dig tunnel underground. Make cocoon out of old skin. Can stay underground for five years! Come up when rain come again.
    “Sometime thirsty humans dig up water-holding frog. Stick frog butt in mouth and squeeze. Out come water.”
    “Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!” gagged Judy dangling from Andrew’s feet. “I wouldn’t drink water from a frog butt if I was dying of thirst!”
    “Frogs eat bugs,” said Andrew as the katydid dragged him higher up the bush—and closer to its jaws. “And that frog must be really hungry if it’s been underground for five years.”
    “You’re going to get eaten by a stupid bug!” hollered Judy. “And I’m going to get eaten by a dumb frog! This is all your fault, Bug-Brain!”
    meep
… “Got idea!” squeaked Thudd. “Remember when Drewd fight off beetle in bat cave? Katydids and crickets not like garlic. Drewd got garlic breath. Gotta blow garlic breath on katydid knees.”
    “On its
knees
?” said Judy.
    meep
… “Katydid smell with knees,” said Thudd.
    “Blow on them?” said Andrew. “I can do better than that!”
    Andrew leaned close to one of the prickly legs that had him in its grip.
    “URRRRRP!” Up came a giant burp of garlic breath.
    Suddenly the insect