Follow Tino the Tortoise as he learns about the exciting natural history of the Grand Canyon in this first book in a new series based in the national parks. The character of Tino the Tortoise is based on the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) of the Mojave Desert. A tortoise is a land-dwelling turtle with a high domed shell and elephant hind legs. Well adapted for the intense desert heat, it can live well over fifty years of age. He spends most of his time in his burrow, which inspired the author to create the character Tino the Tortoise. Tino becomes bored during his long winter's sleep and dreams of visiting America's national parks. During each adventure, Tino and his traveling companion, Rudi, a jerboa from the Gobi Desert of China, set out on a mission to discover ways of being good stewards of the environment, and to learn how to preserve, conserve, and protect the wildlife and habitat of the ecosystems they discover together.