On a hot day in the desert, birds and other animals are scurrying around the desert looking for food. When they start to feel tired, they stop to rest in a giant cactus, which is their hotel in the desert.
In the book “Cactus Hotel” written by Brenda Z. Guiberson and illustrated by Megan Lloyd, when a bright red fruit falls off a tall saguaro cactus, it splits apart with 2,000 seeds glistening in the sun as it lays upon the sandy floor.
In the cool air of the evening, an old pack rat comes out to eat the juicy red fruit. As he skittered across the sand, an extra seed had fallen off his whisker and landed under a palo verde tree. Many dry days later when a heavy rain fell on the desert, a young saguaro cactus sprouts up from the ground. As the seedling grows, the palo verde tree protects it from the hot summersun and cold winter nights.
For the first time after the cactus stands 10 feet tall, the flowers that appear on top of the cactus open at night during spring and then close in the heat of the day. It’s a welcoming signal from across the desert. During different times of the night and day, birds, bats and bees come to drink the nectar. After a month, the flowers had dried up and bright red fruit is ripe and ready to eat. When a gila woodpecker comes to eat the fruit, he decides to stay. He has found the perfect place in the desert to begin a new hotel.
After all the animals that come to live at the Cactus Hotel, they form their new homes and keep the cactus from being harmed. The cactus forms a tough skin all around the holes the animals made in order to protect itself from drying out.
The animals get a space that is roomy and comfortable. Their homes are also a waterproof nest that is shady on hot days and warm and insulated on frosty nights. The cactus also gets something in return; the animals that live there eat the insects that can bring disease to the cactus.
After 60 years, more space is made for the animals as the cactus grows an arm. The birds feel very safe and lay their eggs and packrats raise their young. There’s never a vacancy at the Cactus Hotel because when one animal moves out, another moves in. The book “Cactus Hotel” is recommended for ages 3–6 years old, but it’s a book that readers of any age can easily understand and enjoy.
