Where the Buffalo Roam

In this pleasingly nostalgic paean to the American Southwest, Geis expands on the lyrics to ``Home on the Range.'' Her melodic verse pays homage to the area's plant and animal life: ``Oh, show me a land / Where the tall saguaros stand / And the coyotes and jack rabbits run, / Where the Gila lies still, / As the green rat snake will, / In the warmth of the hot morning sun.'' The book's imaginative design features reproductions of petroglyphs that surround both the text and Geis's polished, loosely rendered watercolors, which splendidly showcase the region's diverse landscape. A concluding glossary describes the area's unique flora and fauna mentioned in the text. The song's resonance makes Geis's first picture book ideal for singing aloud at bedtime: ``How often at night, / When the heavens are bright / With the light of the twinkling stars, / Have I stood here amazed / And asked as I gazed / If their glory exceeds that of ours.'' Ages 5-8. (Oct.)