Saguaro's Gifts

by Kurt Cyrus, Andy Atkins (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrating a birthday is always a happy occasion but never more so in this desert community than when it's a centenary for a grand Saguaro cactus! For one hundred years, the majestic cactus has anchored this vibrant neighborhood, providing food, shelter, and shade to the local wildlife inhabitants. In beautiful rhyming text, the creatures that depend on Saguaro's gifts come to pay homage, including the tiny bat that sips nectar from the plant's flower, the finches looking for a place to build their nest, and the grateful tortoise that enjoys its fruit. Magnificent artwork brings the desert landscape and creatures to life, showing the interdependence between plants and animals. Readers young and old will appreciate this timely message of how essential even an old cactus is to our environment and the world we all share. Back matter includes information on the interdependence of the desert community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534111301
Publisher:	Sleeping Bear Press
Publication date:	08/15/2021
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	297,745
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	AD530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 7 Years

Editorial Reviews

2021-06-02
A saguaro’s crown of blossoms unfurls in the night to the excitement of the desert dwellers.

Nectar lures a small bat who wishes the tall cactus a happy 100th birthday, and an owl returns to its home in the green, spiky trunk. Morning arrives, along with hummingbirds, doves, bees, and butterflies—jostling one another to see and taste the gifts the blooming flowers offer. The seemingly desolate landscape teems with activity while Cyrus’ jaunty verses describe the saguaro from the perspectives of the animals that depend on it as a source of food, shelter, and refuge. Unfortunately, the uneven verses take the life cycle of the flowers and subsequent fruit out of sequence. A tortoise drops by, looking for food, and observes, “Blossoms wither in the sun. / The pollination party’s done.” Yet the flowers had just begun blooming the night before—much too early for withering (as later illustrations attest), let alone for the ripened fruit the confused reptile hopes to find. The author’s skimpy fact sheet also fails to mention many important details, such as the fact that saguaros are found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert. Atkins’ rich illustrations capture the vibrant desert ecosystem with wonderful detail; in one illustration, a bobcat scampers to the top of the saguaro, and in another, a coyote hungrily peers into a rabbit’s burrow. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A striking if imperfect homage to the venerable saguaro. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews