Cactus Hotel

by Brenda Z. Guiberson, Megan Lloyd (Illustrator)

Overview

It is another hot day in the desert. Birds and other animals scurry about looking for food. When they get tired they stop to rest at a giant cactus. It is their hotel in the desert!

Many different animals live in the cactus hotel. It protects them; and they protect it, by eating the pests that could harm the cactus.

The cactus grows larger and larger and will live for about two hundred years. When one animal moves out, another moves in. There is never a vacancy in the cactus hotel.

This story--about a desert, a giant cactus, and the animals who live in it--is one that even the youngest child will understand and enjoy.

Parents' Choice Award
IRA-CBC Teachers' Choice
An NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book
An NCTE Notable Trade Book in the Language Arts

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805013337
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	05/15/1991
Series:	Owlet Book
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	543,750
Product dimensions:	9.38(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Brenda Z. Guiberson has written many books for children, including Cactus Hotel, Into the Sea, Moon Bear, The Greatest Dinosaur Ever, and Disasters. As a child, Brenda wanted to be a jungle explorer. Her books are full of well-researched detail, and Brenda sees this research as an adventure--one that allows her to be a jungle explorer at last.

Megan Lloyd read the manuscript for Cactus Hotel and went to the Saguaro National Monument in Arizona to see the cactuses herself. Lloyd is the illustrator of many picture books, including Guiberson's Spoonbill Swamp.

Editorial Reviews

“A fascinating look at the life cycle of the giant saguaro cactus and its place in the desert ecosystem.” —Booklist

“Guiberson weaves an amazingly large range of facts into this simple story of a fragile ecosystem.” —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

The saguaro cactus is born when a seed is dropped in the shade of a tree. In the one hundred fifty years it takes to reach its full height, it becomes a "hotel" for desert wildlife. when it is two hundred years old, the fifty foot cactus topples and supplies shelter for ground dwellers. Guiberson has a talent for writing factual picture books that read like stories, and the vivid, colorful pictures bring this fascinating topic to life.

Barnes & Noble Staff

The intriguing life cycle of the saguaro cactus and the complex web of life that characterizes the North American Sonoran desert is effectively explored in this involving picture book. Guiberson's text captures the reader with its steady pace and often delightful echoes of cumulative nursery tales. She weaves an amazingly large range of facts into this simple story of a fragile ecosystem, and helps children comprehend just how much plants and animals depend upon one another for their survival. Lloyd's ( The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything ) paintings evoke the desert landscape with their pastel-shaded palette, changing point of view and finely rendered scenes of native flora and fauna. Best used as a read-aloud, this is a fine prequel to Barbara Bash's more extensive and detailed Desert Giant . Ages 4-8. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 2-- Text and illustrations successfully meld to tell this story of the slow-growing saguaro. The plant's 200-year life cycle from seed to final deterioration is presented chronologically. This sequential approach clearly demonstrates plant development and adaptation techniques for survival in a desert habitat. The symbiotic relationship of plant and animal at various stages of growth is shown as birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects visit the cactus. Muted double-page illustrations provide a landscape background for the brighter hues of the cactus flowers and the creatures that come to visit. These illustrations are a gentle contrast to the boldness of Desert Giant (Little, 1989) by Barbara Bash and complement the photographs in The Hidden Life of the Desert (Crown, 1990) by Thomas Wiewandt. --Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJ

School Library Journal