In the Desert : In the Desert (9780307496126) Read Online Free PDF Page A

rock!”
    “Good golly, Miss Molly!” said Uncle Al. “You did it! You found a way to use the wind!
    “I’m super proud of you guys. Winka and I are at Uluru right now.”
    “But how are you going to find us?” asked Judy.
    “Do you have your flashlight?” asked Uncle Al.
    “Yup,” said Andrew.
    “Turn it on,” said Uncle Al.
    “But it’s such a small light,” said Judy. “How can you see it in this huge desert?”
    “Winka brought her telescope,” said Uncle Al. “It can find the tiniest glimmers of light from stars that are billions of miles away. Now we’ll use it to find a speck of light that’s much closer.”
    Andrew reached over to where his flashlight was caught on a tumbleweed twig. He turned it on.
    Suddenly the tumbleweed stopped tumbling.
    “Uh-oh,” said Andrew. “The tumbleweedmust be stuck on something. And we’re still pretty far from Uluru rock.”
    “Look!” said Judy. “Headlights! Is that you, Uncle Al?”
    “Probably” said Uncle Al. “There’s not much traffic out here. We’re going to stop so we can use the telescope.”
    Andrew and Judy watched the headlights come to a standstill.
    “I have an idea,” said Andrew.
    He untangled his flashlight and the Drastic Elastic from the tumbleweed.
    He climbed onto a twig near the outside of the tumbleweed and began to twirl the flashlight like a lasso.
    The flashlight made a big circle of light as it went round and round.
    “I see you!” said Uncle Al. “Even without the telescope.”
    Now the headlights began moving toward them. They could see Uncle Al and Winkawaving! They were getting out of the jeep! They were running toward the tumbleweed!
    Uncle Al picked up the tumbleweed, gently plucked Andrew and Judy out of it, and placed them in the palm of Winka’s hand.
    “Ooorf …,” Judy burped. Her eyes rolled dizzily.

    “Blurk…” A sound between a hiccup and a burp came out of Andrew.
    “Hiya, Unkie! Hiya, Winka!” said Thudd.
    “There’s a great pizza place at Uluru,” said Uncle Al. “They even have witchetty grub topping!”
    Even by moonlight, Winka could tell that Andrew and Judy were looking a little green.
    Winka smiled kindly. “How about pepperoni?” she said.
    “Ooooorp!” said Judy.
    “Give me five minutes!” said Andrew.
    TO BE CONTINUED IN ANDREW, JUDY, AND THUDD’S
NEXT EXCITING ADVENTURE:

ANDREW LOST
WITH THE FROGS!

In stores July 2008

Thudd wanted to tell you more about delicious witchetty grubs and thorny devils, but he was busy saving Andrew and Judy from meat-eating ants and death adders. Here’s what he wanted to say:
The thorny devil has a big lump on the back of its neck. If a predator attacks this slow-moving lizard, the thorny devil tucks its head between its front legs. The lump on its neck looks like its head! Even if the predator takes a bite of the fake head, the thorny devil has a chance to escape and live.
Every living thing needs water to survive.The thorny devil has a way to make sure that it collects every drop that touches it. The thorns of this lizard make little grooves on its skin. All these grooves lead to its mouth. When a thorny devil steps into water or rubs against a dewy plant, the grooves act like straws—they pull water right up to its mouth!
The water is pulled up by what scientists call capillary action. Water molecules in small spaces “climb the walls.” For example, if you touch the edge of a paper towel to water, you will see the water spread through the paper. The water is climbing into the tiny spaces between the paper fibers. To see the paper fibers, rip a dry paper towel apart and examine the ripped edge. A magnifying glass will help you see the fibers more clearly.
It’s difficult for animals to survive extreme heat or extreme cold. The molecules we’re made of work slowly in the cold. If it gets too cold, they stop working completely. Extremeheat can break the molecules of living things. That’s why we cook food. And it’s also why