The Night Flower: The Blooming of the Saguaro Cactus

I love,love, love this book...and the Sonoran Desert! The enchanting illustrations are both whimsical and realistic. Through rhyming text Hawthorne shows the interdependence of plants and animals in the desert by focusing on the Saguaro cactus. At the end of the book she adds a glossary, a life cycle of the Saguaro, and descriptions of the desert animals. I am always leery of supposed facts in children's books. There is a picture of a bobcat climbing a Saguaro. I didn't believe it, but a quick Google search proved Hawthorne correct! Then I noticed a thank you to the Sonoran Desert Museum, a place I know and respect. This book has been thoroughly researched. Even though this is a book for children, I learned several new things.

In this book it discusses the dessert, different animals, and the Saguaro. This book is a blend between social studies and science. You can learn about the climate and geography of the dessert while also learning about the animals and plants that grow. I like that at the end of the story about the flower their are descriptions of what the animals are that you see throughout the story and their also is a description about the Saguaro. The book teaches students a lot of new information.

This book would pair good with a lesson about different flowers that grow in different climates. You also can teach a class about the different animals that live in different climates. This book can benefit a science lesson or even a social studies lesson show more on geography. show less

This book is non fiction, beautifully illustrated, picture book about the Sonoran Desert life, particularly focused on the Sahuaro and its flowers. A book to keep in the classroom as an informational text for students to refer to learn about the desert.