The illustrations that appear in the book were created in Aldus Freehand 5.0 by Chris Reilley, and the screenshots were processed in Adobe PhotoShop. This colophon was written by Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary. Jerboas live in the desert regions of Africa and Central Asia. There are more than 20 species of jerboa, ranging in size from 1.6 to 10 inches, with tails of an additional 2.7 to 11 inches. Their hind legs, which are used for jumping, are at least four times as long as their front legs, which are used only for gathering food or running short distances.
Jerboas can jump five to ten feet in a single leap, or they can move using short hops.
Their long tails are used for balance when jumping or standing. Jerboas are nocturnal animals. Although they are not sociable, jerboas within a given area all emerge from their burrows at about the same time each evening and simul taneously head to their feeding grounds in search of food. The jerboa diet primarily consists of seeds, along with some insects and vegetation. They are able to manu facture water from their food, and so have no need to drink water.