2024 Green Earth Book Award-Picture Book Intermediate Readers LONGLIST - 2024 IAN Book of the Year Awards-Animals/Pets/Nature FIRST PLACE - 2024 Purple Dragonfly Book Award-Green/Environmental book FIRST PLACE - 2023 Little Peeps Book Awards-Early Readers FIRST PLACE - 2023 Foreword Indies-Juvenile Nonfiction FINALIST - A Readers' Favorite 5-star review From multi-award-winning authors comes a fascinating picture book highlighting the resilience of a 20,000-year-old species of endangered fish in Death Valley. When some think of Death Valley, a barren wasteland comes to mind. Far from it, the area, now a protected national park known for its extreme temperatures, is teeming with a diverse range of endemic species, plants, and terrain. Fish in the Desert explores the fascinating and tiny 'pupfish,' the world's rarest fish who have withstood the harsh conditions of Death Valley since the Pleistocene epoch. The story follows Adele, a young girl, on a road trip with her family to Death Valley National Park in Southeastern California near the border with Nevada. Adele spots a beautiful and tiny blue and purple fish that the park's Aquatic Ecologist tells the family is called a pupfish , an endangered fish species renowned for its ability to exist with the intense heat and salt and even adapt to a changing ecosystem over thousands of years. Young readers will learn that the tenacious pupfish, originally among many types of sea life, is the only species to have survived the climate change and extreme conditions of Death Valley and that there are even subspecies of pupfish that evolved separately in different pools of water. *Back-of-book glossary *Science Concepts: animal adaptations, desert habitat, food/web chains, aquifer, endangered and endemic species *A "Did You See Me?" page challenges kids to go back through the book to find the animals and plants that make the desert their home Educators and families of young children will delight in this book, which uses engaging storytelling to highlight the importance of nature, environmental stewardship, and wildlife conservation in preventing the loss of an incredible endangered species and the unique and interesting ecosystem in which it lives. Fish in the Desert is the first installment in the Bringing National Parks to Life series, which focuses on endangered species in a different protected location within the U.S. National Park Service and Wildlife Refuge. 2024 Green Earth Book Award-Picture Book Intermediate Readers LONGLIST - 2024 IAN Book of the Year Awards-Animals/Pets/Nature FIRST PLACE - 2024 Purple Dragonfly Book Award-Green/Environmental book FIRST PLACE - 2023 Little Peeps Book Awards-Early Readers FIRST PLACE - 2023 Foreword Indies-Juvenile Nonfiction FINALIST - Autumn 2023 Readers' Choice-Best Children's Book Age 3-7 FINALIST "Fish in the Desert brings to life the story of the Death Valley Pupfish - five species endemic to the region. This story does a fantastic job of weaving together the importance of national parks to people and the conservation of wildlife and their habitat. The educational resources at the end elevate this book to more than a story about an endangered species; it makes this a must-read for anyone of any age interested in learning more about national parks, wildlife refuges, and how to help wildlife and reduce our impact on climate change." -Katie Taylor, Founder of Endangered Species Protection Network "This book checks all the important boxes. Great illustrations! (I even had to stop to admire the lovely endpapers.)There's a child, an adventure, a helpful adult, and TONS of fascinating ANIMALS and INFORMATION. It doesn't get better than that. And it's a lovely touch to come back to Adele's "resilience" at the end—full circles are good.The text is informative, you don't "dumb down" the important info—but provide a valuable glossary at the back.I love the things at the back—especially the challenge to find the animals, which is another excellent way to pull the reader into the experience. A+" -Sandra Cutuli, retired children's librarian "As a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I first learned about the existence of pupfish early in my career. I was fortunate to meet the passionate Phil Pister, the savior of the Owens Pupfish species, at a Fisheries training I took in 1992. If he were alive today, I am sure Mr. Pister would be overjoyed about this beautifully crafted book. After a 34-year career as a Biologist for the U.S. Government, I have more concerns than ever about human-caused threats to the environment that sustains all life. My hope is that this engaging story, along with its colorful and accurate illustrations, will inspire children to love pupfish and thus nature itself. For it is love that creates the passion to advocate for rare species and a healthy environment." -Lara Oles, former biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service "Adalgisa and David Nico's wond