“The Astonishing Astounding Amazing Sonoran Desert” is like the desert it reveals. The book is charming and beautifully sparse, yet sufficiently deep to both pique and satisfy one’s curiosity. But most importantly, like the Sonoran Desert, this book will make you fall in love. The authors and illustrator have done a splendid job interpreting this exquisite ecosystem, which needs that love. Threats abound, and all of us can help. The book’s sales benefit the nonprofit group Friends of the Sonoran Desert. The book itself will benefit all who seek to experience and share happiness from nature. Read it with your kids, or your inner kid, and go explore!”
—Blair Witherington – author of “Florida’s Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber” and “Our Sea Turtles: A Practical Guide for the Atlantic and Gulf, from Canada to Mexico”

 

“A wonderful and superbly illustrated book that touches on the key plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert, focusing on how these marvelous organisms manage to survive in a hostile environment while also encouraging the reader to protect the desert from the many threats it faces.”
—John Alcock – author of “Sonoran Desert Spring” and “When the Rains Come: A Naturalist’s Year in the Sonoran Desert”

 

“This wonderful little book is a charming addition to the library of Southwest natural history and desert ecology. The lovely original paintings by Roni Alexander, captivating in their own right, propel the engaging text by Harriet and Andrew Smith, which is authoritative, yet succinct and accessible. I recommend this volume for readers of all ages. There’s learning and delight within, for fresh newcomers and seasoned naturalists alike.”
—Thomas L. Fleischner – editor of “The Way of Natural History” and “Nature, Love, Medicine: Essays on Wildness and Wellness”