Books published by publisher Rio Nuevo Publishers

An inspiring and witty guide to landscape design in dry climates."Put your desert eyes on," is Scott Calhoun's first advice to gardeners facing arid Southwestern regions with extreme climate conditions. Then he shows how to translate the natural beauty of the region—mountains, canyons, sculptural succulents, and incandescent sky—into gorgeous yet water-thrifty landscape designs that complement existing architecture as well as the environment that surrounds it. Spectacular photographs help to tell the tale, showing flowering plants that are also tough as nails, vivid purple walls, and cacti with "punk rock hairdos," along with creative touches drawn from Native American and pop culture. Gardeners at all levels will find insight, inspiration, tips, and tricks to help them create and foster beauty in the desert. 100 color photos; 20 b/w illustrations

WINNER of the 2017 IPPY Award Bronze Medal for Best Gift Books at the Independent Book Publisher Awards!Recently selected as one of New Mexico Magazine's 2016 gift giving picks! Delightful, humorous, and poignant, Wild Wisdom enchants readers with vivid and vibrant animal stories from Native American tradition. Native American animal stories embody a living tradition based on a mutually beneficial relationship with the natural world - one that continues to resonate to this day, and one that many of us long to experience. Animals add love, guidance, and joy to our lives. These uplifting stories will entertain and inspire, while celebrating the beauty and importance of the animal/human relationship. From Coyote telling us what not to do by doing it, to Hummingbird s healing hum, to Turkey saving Thanksgiving for everyone but himself, Wild Wisdom captures the connection we all have, regardless of who we are or where we live, to Native animal wisdom of the Southwest.

Ask a child to draw a picture of a cactus, and the result will probably look like a saguaro. Indeed, mass media have made this denizen of the Sonoran Desert universally recognizable, and perhaps just as misunderstood. In Saguaro: The Desert Giant, Anna Humphreys and Susan Lowell share true stories about this amazing, anthropomorphic cactus that are at least as intriguing as the folklore. A saguaro can grow to be a towering fifty feet or more and live for as long as two centuries. During rainy seasons, a large saguaro can soak up literally hundreds of gallons of water in its expandable, accordion-folded trunk and arms. For uncounted generations, the Tohono Oodham people in Arizona have harvested the sweet saguaro fruits to make syrup and wine. Profusely illustrated with contemporary and historic photographs and other artwork, Saguaro: The Desert Giant celebrates these iconic cacti while arguing that the need to preserve their critical Sonoran Desert habitat is more pressing now than ever.

Winner of the 2015 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards for Arizona Biography!In Death Valley National Monument, 1947, a handsome young park ranger idly plucks his guitar, writes a cowboy song, and strikes gold. This is the true story of Stan Jones, now told in full for the first time. His great song "Ghost Riders in the Sky," continues to have a life of its own, performed all around the world in ever-changing musical modes, still casting an eerie spell over listeners today.

The javelinas are back and full of holiday cheer! Inside their cozy home, they bake gingerbread cookies, string lights, and set their boots out for Santa to fill with presents. Meanwhile, someone is devising a plan to ruin their Christmas festivities! Who is coming down the chimney? Will our favorite hairy creatures get away by the hair of their chinny-chin-chins this time?Put this one at the top of your list!

Storyteller figures represent one of the more recent developments underway in Native American art today.The continued demand for Mark Bahti's delightful book about these figures and the traditions from which they spring is a testament to their enormous appeal. Bahti has gathered together a collection of storyteller figures to show trends in the art form with text introducing each pueblo and its stories. Pronunciation notes help in reading them aloud, and photographs illustrate the process of making the dolls. Pueblo Stories and Storytellers remains the most comprehensive and reasonably priced introduction to the subject on the market! Photographs throughout

Discover the timeless treasures and wonders of the desert with your child in this beautiful picture book. Watch as your children flip through each gorgeous page and take in the marvels of the desert - the landscapes, the history, the people, the animals - in this sweeping tale, while they look in the background for the hidden animals from previous or upcoming pages.