Jennifer Wharton, age 7, of Emmaus, Pa., for her question:

DOES IT EVER RAIN IN THE DESERT?

The clouds drift around the whole world. And sooner or later, one of them sheds a shower on the thirsty desert. As a matter of fact, there is no place on land or sea where the rain never falls at all. However, the steamy jungles get more than their share  and the dry sandy deserts get very little.

The sky above the desert is clear and heavily blue, with hardly a cloud in sight. But once in a while a dark cloud dumps a deluge of rain. The water soon runs away or sinks into the thirsty sand. And nobody knows when to expect the next shower. It may come next week or next month  or no rain may fall for several years. But one thing is certain, sooner or later there will be rain, even in the driest desert.