Joseph Papin

God, I loved this book as a kid. It actually holds up pretty well, 30-some years later. The baby camel's travails are as nail-biting as ever; it's heartening to see the girl defeating sexist expectations in a non-didactic sort of way; and the main characters are pretty much all real people. Scenes of desert heat are an excellent way to while away a rainy cold afternoon in a Boston autumn.

Two children accompany their uncle's caravan across the desert. After a surprise attack by raiders they find themselves alone with two wounded camels, little water, and unsure of their whereabouts.