Saguaro Cactus (Habitats)

Gr 1-3--Bright, sun-filled photographs of the Sonoran Desert are clear and colorful. The emphasis is on the saguaro cactus and the bird, animal, and insect life it supports. Some subjects are shown in blown-up circle insets or drawings, and most illustrations are full-page. The information about the animal life, however, is scant--this is the saguaro's story, after all. The text is interesting and accessible. Facts, however, are not easily found. Children will come away not knowing where this desert is, and it is not always clear which animal is depicted in the uncaptioned photos. There is no glossary, index, table of contents, or map. Libraries that have Barbara Bash's Desert Giant (Little, Brown, 1989) will not need this title. The most detailed information on the cactus can be found in Conrad Storad's Saguaro Cactus (Lerner, 1994). For the best story version of the animal life in the Sonoran Desert, see Carolyn Lesser's Storm on the Desert (Harcourt, 1997), illustrated by Ted Rand, which is a poetic, visual delight.

Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID

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