Press Release: ‘Fish in the Desert’ children’s book launches Nov. 2023

A fascinating picture book shares the resilience of a 20,000-year-old species of endangered fish in Death Valley.

LOS ANGELES, California – When some think of Death Valley, the idea of a barren wasteland comes to mind. Far from it, the area, now a protected national park known for its extreme temperatures, is actually teeming with a diverse range of endemic species, plants, and terrain. Fish in the Desert: The Untold Story of the Death Valley Pupfish, by husband and wife author team Adalgisa and David Nico, is a children’s story that 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 trip with her family to Death Valley National Park in Southeastern California near the border with Nevada. They begin their tour at Badwater Basin, whose salt-crusted floor results from an ancient lake that had evaporated over thousands of years. At Salt Creek, 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 renowned for its ability to exist in intense heat and salt, and even adapt to a changing ecosystem over thousands of years.

Young readers will learn how the tenacious pupfish, originally among many types of sea life, are the only ones to have survived the changing and extreme conditions of Death Valley, and how there are even subspecies of pupfish who evolved separately in different pools of water. A back-of-book glossary explains terms used throughout the book, such as species, aquifer, and oasis, while an ending spread shares picture prompts inviting readers on a search to find various plants and animals in the book that make Death Valley their home.

Educators and families of young children will welcome Fish in the Desert as a book that uses engaging storytelling to highlight the importance of environmental stewardship to prevent the loss of an incredible endangered species and the unique and exciting environment in which it lives. The first installment in the Bringing National Parks to Life series, which focuses on a different protected location within the U.S. National Park Service, Fish in the Desert: The Untold Story of the Death Valley Pupfish, is available wherever books are sold.

If you would like more information about authors Adalgisa Nico and David Nico and Fish in the Desert: The Untold Story of the Death Valley Pup or the Bringing National Parks to Life picture book series, please contact gisa@butterflygardenpreschool.com.