"After a young roadrunner is bitten by a rattlesnake, his feet swell to an enormous size. At first this seems to be a handicap as he stumbles around the desert and nearly ends up as a meal for a coyote. After taking the advice of a wise old tortoise, though, the roadrunner, now called Thunderfoot, undergoes an exercise program, making his legs and wings much stronger than the average roadrunner's. The newly pumped-up Thunderfoot hammers the local predators and winds up his days as a legendary figure in the animal world. Wallace creates a lively fantasy, with a cliff-hanging closing for nearly every chapter. Along the way, he slips in some facts about the life of roadrunners and the natural world of the desert as well as Native American rituals."--Booklist.

Gr. 3-6.

Accelerated Reader,Grades 5-8,4.1,4,SD,Quiz 110127,English fiction.