Jeannie Baker, Desert Jungle, Walker Books, May 2023, 40 pp., RRP $27.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781406387872
Jeannie Baker makes gorgeous books that children love and adults admire. This one is the result of a six-week research trip to the Sonora Desert in Mexico just south of the border with the United States. It is an area under consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The story takes place in the Valley of the Cirios. The Cirio tree, named the Bojum tree by an Englishman in the nineteenth century, is endemic to this desert, and makes for the strange proliferation of cactus-like trees in a subtropical desert forest.
The story is narrated by Chirico, who goes to visit his grandpa in the valley. Only interested in playing games on his tablet, Chirico is unaware of the plants and the animals around his grandpa’s modest hut. When a coyote takes the bag that holds his tablet one night, Chirico ventures out into the strange forest of this valley. Through the course of the book he discovers the plants, the creatures, the birds, rocks, fossils, and even a cave painting. He comes to understand that by sitting still he can discover much about nature. And the reader will discover a fascinating corner of the world while falling in love with the collage constructions of Jeannie Baker superbly photographed by Jaime Plaza.
The images in full colour fill the large pages with vivid, textured detail. Highly recommended for readers from 3 to 10 years and beyond.
Reviewed by Kevin Brophy
