Baker, Jeannie

Striking mixed-media art from the creator of Mirror lights up the Sonoran Desert, revealin--through one wary boy's experience--a habitat that is anything but barren and desolate. In a desert valley, surrounded by mountains of rock and cactus, is the tiny village the boy calls home. He never wanders far, frightened of coyotes and the dusty wilds beyond. On a visit to Grandpa's ranch, he resists the invitation to explore an area where his grandfather grew up, far from any village. The boy would rather play it safe on his tablet. But one of the creatures he fears has other plans for him, and soon the vast desert "jungle" begins to share its secret--wonders beyond imagining. Inspired by a research trip to the Sonoran Desert in Mexico, and illustrated with richly detailed and layered mixed-media collage, Jeannie Baker's gentle family story of awakening to nature is informed by the concept of nature deficit disorder, a subject she explores in the author's note. Her extensive afterword also illuminates the enormous biodiversity of one of the world's most magnificent--and misunderstood--habitats.

"Bark, feathers, cracked paint, earth, wool, tin...Jeannie Baker's stunning collages, created by assembling all sorts of different textures, are known all over the world. Now she shares her secret at last--and encourages you to create artworks of your own from the wondrous world around you"--Back cover.

Chronicles the events and changes in a young boy's life and in his environment, from babyhood to grownup, through wordless scenes observed from the window of his room.

A visit to a tropical rain forest in Austrailia.

"Each year, bar-tailed godwits undertake the longest unbroken migration of any bird, flying from their breeding grounds in the Arctic to Australia and New Zealand and back again. They follow invisible pathways--pathways that have been followed for thousands of years--while braving hunger and treacherous conditions to reach their destination... follows the godwit's incredible flight, taking us over awe-inspiring scenes as the birds spread their wings above such beautiful landmarks as the Great Barrier Reef and China's breathtaking cityscapes."--OCLC.

The place, the people, and the predicament are real. This forest is part of the wilderness between the Daintree River and Bloomfield in North Queensland, Australia. A child adventures through the rain forest wondering how long it will remain the same.