From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4. The great saguaro cactus stands tall and majestic in the Sonoran desert as the relentless sun "hammers the dry soil, making the air above it shimmer." As evening brings relief, "the full moon cools the desert with its silvery light, and the saguaros begin to open their brilliant white flowers to the stars." The cactus welcomes its array of regular nocturnal visitors. First to be lured are the bats. The great horned owl is on the prowl above, while the kangaroo rat nervously escapes capture and outwits a hungry kit fox on the ground below. Noisy javelinas arrive, nipping off cactus seedlings. The desert is alive with the sights and sounds of night until the saguaro's white flowers begin to close with the first glimpse of morning's light. Pollination has allowed the saguaro seed to form. The ruby-red fruits to follow will delight the Gila woodpecker, the white-winged doves and the curved-bill thrashers. The fascination of desert life is expertly depicted with poetic narration and authentic illustrations. The audio accompaniment intensifies and personalizes the drama of this fragile habitat. A map marking the Sonoran desert and an encyclopedic article replete with statistics offer even more information for young researchers. The glossary deserves specific mention; each desert plant and animal is named and illustrated. The two-page spread opens further to a four-page colorful mural of the desert where students may locate and identify each plant and animal. No elementary library should be without this significant resource in its collection. Cactus Cafe will educate and delight youngsters.?Patricia Mahoney Brown, Franklin Elementary School, Kenmore, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Growing up on a two-hundred-year-old farm in the Catskill Mountain State Park fostered Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld's passion for observing, reading, and writing about nature in all its forms. With a bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College with a master's degree in English from the University of Michigan, Ms. Zoehfeld has been an ediotr of children's books for over ten years, concentrating on children's non-fiction. She has also written Seal Pup Grows Up and Dolphin's First Day for the Smithsonian Oceanic Colleciton, and Fawn at Woodland Way for Smithsonian's Backyard. She lives in Norwalk, Connecticut with her husband, Robert, and son, Geoffrey.
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