Discusses desert animals around the world and the ways in which they adapt to the desert ecosystem. Introduces endangered species and conservation efforts and suggests ways for readers to contribute.
Humiliated by the name given to him after a rattlesnake bite left him with gigantic, swollen feet, Thunderfoot, a roadrunner, takes the advice of Berland, a wise gopher tortoise, and sets out to prove a name doesn't mean everything.
Examines the features and adaptations of desert animals and how they use them to survive in their habitat, such as geckos' wide feet, camels' humps, and pebble-mound mouses' stone burrows.