Jeannie Baker’s creations have astounded me since I was small, staring for hours on end at her mixed-media collages that bring to life wonderous stories that sometimes don’t even need words to be told. Such joys as Window and Where the Forest Meets the Sea are household classics.

In this new tale, Desert Jungle, Baker captures the exotic mystery of a desert environment through the eyes of a child, as his grandpa draws him away from his device and teaches him, and us, about his desert home, and explores why it needs our help to continue to be sustained and protected.

Her author’s note at the end of the book also speaks of nature-deficit disorder, a growing worldwide problem. This is when children do not have a strong sense of belonging and connection to their natural environment and can even start to fear it. It can develop into an indifference towards environmental concerns, and towards living things that, with the current issues we all are facing, need to be understood and cared for. For ages 4+.