Welcome to the Cactus Hotel

by Brenda Z. Guiberson, Megan Lloyd (Illustrator)

Overview

Welcome, welcome, to the Cactus Hotel.

Many desert animals make holes and nests on the great arms of this giant cactus.
Spring time is extra busy when the flowers bloom. This is the season for sweet nectar, fluffy pollen, juicy red fruit, and shiny black seeds. Yummm!

With simplified text and new illustrations, this board book allows the youngest child to enjoy and understand the helpful connections between the Cactus Hotel and those beautiful, busy and varied guests. A new generation of little ones will become immersed in this nonfiction board book about desert wildlife.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250889270
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	03/12/2024
Pages:	26
Sales rank:	422,406
Product dimensions:	6.56(w) x 6.31(h) x 0.56(d)
Age Range:	1 - 4 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