The book is a collection of tall tales featuring extraordinary animals and plants from the Sonoran Desert of Baja California. It is a literary experience for young readers that can help ignite a passion for the natural world.
Best-selling author Earl Vincent de Berge has created an enchanting new young adult fantasy book that will captivate young readers' imagination and take them on a journey like no other. Recently released, 'Big Ears Jack and Friends' is a collection of 15 fascinating short fantasy stories that celebrate the wild animals and plants of the hottest desert in the Americas, on the world's narrowest peninsula, Baja.
The hero of the story, Big Ears Jack, is a jackrabbit with huge ears and magical powers that he uses to help his fellow desert friends. Jack is a loyal friend, and the star of this wildly entertaining new book.
Jack and his friends embark on a series of whimsical adventures as they outsmart coyotes, race dragonflies, sing with kangaroo rats, and even dance with dust devils. Along the way, readers will meet Nosey and Wag, mischievous coyote brothers; Blue Dasher, a racing dragonfly; the Kangaroo Rat Chorus; tree-lizard Boris; Giro the dust devil; Hawk Conchita and the red ants; Lady Treble Clef, a watchful cactus; Paulina, the puma poet; Diana the musical tarantula; Lady Chrona, a sea lion who dreams of flying; a scheming sea gull named Swindler; the beautiful bobcat Miss Mucha Purrs; Young Red Fox and his sweet love, the lovely rabbit Adorna; Mr. Shellie the chatterbox tortoise and others.
This enchanting new book is the perfect gift for young people who might love to read stories that make it fun to learn about coyotes, foxes, jackrabbits, and other desert animals. The book strikes a balance between captivating storytelling and charming illustrations.
'Big Ears Jack and Friends' is now available in Kindle and softcover version at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Earl-Vincent-de-Berge/author/B09R6M1G4Y?
A recent review of the book by AWA stated, "One of the book’s greatest strengths is its world-building. De Berge weaves the flora and fauna of Baja California into the narrative, making the setting feel like a character itself. Talking cacti, dust devils playing tag, and wise desert tortoises enrich the stories, placing readers in an enchanting ecosystem where the line between reality and fantasy blurs.
"The themes of community, creativity, and environmental respect run throughout the collection. Young readers will enjoy the magical adventures and witty dialogue, while adults will appreciate the underlying messages about cooperation, individuality, and harmony with nature."
Earl Vincent de Berge is also the author of 'A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand'. This coming of age memoir is more than just another adventure story; it’s a meditation on resilience, friendship, and the inescapable pull of self-discovery. Each challenge -- be it physical or emotional -- becomes a steppingstone in the explorers’ evolution, perhaps reminding readers of their own capacity for growth. It offers a compelling testament to the human spirit's capacity for transformation.
The Baja Peninsula serves as both a backdrop and a mirror. It immerses readers in four explorers' transformative journey through Baja California in 1962 and 1964, inspired by 'The Forgotten Peninsula' by Joseph Wood Krutch.
Photography enthusiasts will be thrilled to know the book offers a treasure trove of previously unreleased photographs of the area.
One reviewer called the book, ". . . a beautifully written, fabulous tale of an incredibly brave and daring journey." ReaderViews, in their 5-star review said, "A Finger of Land on an Old Man’s Hand by Earl Vincent de Berge is the stark, witty, and profound memoir of four college students testing their limits on the Baja Peninsula in the summer of 1962. One could think of this as the classic literary assignment, 'How I Spent My Summer Vacation.' Only to do so would be to grossly underestimate this narrative."
The book took Best In Category 2024, Nonfiction, from the Arizona Authors Association.
To date, Earl has also published three collections of his poems, 'Allegro to Life,' 'Swans to Carry Me,' and 'Wind in the Elephant Tree,' which touch on nature, human nature, love, desert silence, and life in Guatemala.
All of de Berge's books are available at Amazon and other online book retailers. More information, including an excerpt from the book and a PDF of selected photos from 'A Finger of Land On An Old Man's Hand', with insider details revealing Baja in the 1960s, is available at his website at https://www.earldeberge.com/.
About Earl Vincent de Berge:
Author Earl Vincent de Berge is an Arizona native, writer, photographer, and poet. With a master’s degree in political science from the University of Arizona, he founded Behavior Research Center, Inc., and created the respected and widely published Rocky Mountain Poll (RMP), of which he was Editor for 35 years. Earl’s photographs, logbooks, and essays reflecting on life experiences serve as foundations for his prose and poetry. He has recently published three collections of his poems, 'Allegro to Life,' 'Swans to Carry Me,' and 'Wind in the Elephant Tree,' which touch on nature, human nature, love, desert silence, and life in Guatemala.
Earl has just published “Big Ears Jack and Friends,” a book of young reader stories in which the main characters are animals and birds of the Sonoran Desert and coastal regions of Baja and he is currently assembling 'The Man Who Ate His Dreams,' a biography of a rags-to-riches businessman, artist, and poet.
Earl and his wife Suzanne split their time between Arizona and Guatemala where they founded the nonprofit Seeds for a Future to help impoverished rural women improve their families’ access to adequate food and nutrition (www.seedsforafuture.org).
Contact:
Earl Vincent de Berge
https://www.earldeberge.com/
edb1326@hotmail.com
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