Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #995461 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 28 pages

From Publishers Weekly
When most people think of a typical cactus, they probably think of the saguaro, which can grow to be 50 feet high, weigh up to several tons and live for 200 years. It plays a significant role in desert life: the Gila woodpecker builds its nest in the trunk (and once the woodpeckers are finished with their nest, an elf owl may move in); a Harris' hawk may construct a nest of twigs on the cactus; at night, a long-nosed bat may drink the nectar hidden in the saguaro flowers; during the day, the white-winged doves, butterflies and bees may also drink the nectar. And when the saguaro fruit ripens, it is harvested by the Tohono O'odham Indians for jams, candies, syrups and wines, as well as eaten by coyotes, ants and javelina pigs. Bash, who illustrated Tiger Lilies and Other Beastly Plants , has skillfully combined an informative, readable text with bold, appealing illustrations. Readers will appreciate the towering giant of the desert, and find the link between it and the other inhabitants of that land engrossing. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-6 A lap-size book with colorful, detailed illustrations that complement clear text descriptive of the life cycle of a saguaro cactus and its uses by and contributions to southwestern desert dwellersinsect, reptile, animal, and human. Bash is informative without oversimplification or hyperscientificism. For pictorial and topic information, Desert Giant is comparable to Patricia Lauber's Life on a Giant Cactus (Garrard, 1974), and superior to Anita Holmes' The 100-Year-Old Cactus (Four Winds, 1983). It contains a delightful sequence showing how desert Indians harvest and use saguaro fruitnot mentioned in either of the other books. A handsome addition to books on this subject. George Gleason, Department of English, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ingram
Documents the life cycle and ecosystem of the giant saguaro cactus and the desert animals it helps to support.

Customer Reviews

Not your ordinary desert book
We have been reading many different desert books for a unit study. It seemed that we kept running across the same old information in every book. Then we read this one! It tells you things that you just don't find in other books. This turned out to be our favorite book. The pictures are wonderful and it is easily understandable by young children, thought adults will learn a thing or two as well! Highly recommended.

This book was full of wonderful pictures and information
I have used this book every year as a third grade teacher. It is wonderful as a read aloud for science to illustrate how animals and plants adapt to their environment and rely on other plants and animals for survival. This is one of the best books I have ever read to my class because it is not dull science jargon but presented as the story of the life of the cactus. Don't miss this one for teaching and learning about life science in the desert.