Around One Cactus: Owls, Bats, and Leaping Rats

by Anthony D. Fredericks, Jennifer DiRubbio (Illustrator)

Overview

Around One Cactus is the perfect desert kids book and doubles as an ideal habitat book for kids!

The desert is an amazing place filled with secrets and surprises. Have you seen a saguaro cactus? It looks lonely, standing in the dry, dry desert. But actually the saguaro is a haven for a whole community of creatures some cute, some creepy, all of them fascinating!

In this cactus children's book, a boy walks up to an impressive saguaro cactus and wonders who could be living on this arid ground? As night falls, he walks away. And then the place comes alive! The engaging rhyming text and gorgeous illustrations result in an attention-grabbing read-aloud that culminates in successful learning about deserts for kids!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584692362
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/01/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 10 Years

About the Author

Anthony D. Fredericks is a veteran nature explorer. He grew up on the beaches of southern California and during summers camped (and swatted mosquitoes) in the Sierra Nevada mountains of eastern California. Later he attended high school and college in Arizona where he often spent his free time trekking through the Sonoran desert. Now Tony explores the hillside in south-central Pennsylvania where he and his wife reside and frequently hikes the mountains of western Colorado where his granddaughter lives. A former classroom teacher and reading specialist, he is Professor of Education at York College. As the author of more than 30 children's books (some about "buggy" things) he is a frequent visitor to schools around the country, where he shares the wonders of nature with a new generation of naturalists.

Jennifer DiRubbio is both a passionate artist and an avid environmentalist. She has been active as an artist for several organizations that promote nature and a healthy planet. Jennifer graduated with a BFA from Pratt Institute in 1992. She keeps her home and studio in Merrick, New York, as "green" and environmentally sound as possible, where her husband and two young children also work and play.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 4-In a cadence reminiscent of Arnold Lobel's The Rose in My Garden (HarperTrophy, 1993), Fredericks utilizes a cumulative rhyme to introduce the community of a Saguaro cactus. A young boy observes the impressive plant and wonders, "Who could be living on this arid ground?" As night falls, he walks away and the animals begin to "play and prey." First, "A leaping rat builds a cozy nest/(A sheltered place for her young to rest)/Beside the cactus tall and grand,/A haven for creatures in a waterless land." Each additional verse conveys a few facts about another desert inhabitant. A "Field Notes" section at the end explains that these animals can be found in the Sonoran desert and provides some background about each of them. DiRubbio's vibrantly colored and detailed illustrations-including pictures of a speckled Gila monster and sharp-eyed owl-are sized perfectly to provide clarity. Combining an elegant text with dramatic artwork, this book is an attention-grabbing read-aloud and a winner for any collection.-Phyllis M. Simon, Bay Shore School District, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal