The Night Flower: The Blooming of the Saguaro Cactus [Paperback]

Beautifully, delicately illustrated pages bring the desert and its plants and animals to life. —Booklist

As the summer sun sets over the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, wildlife gathers to witness a very special annual event. The night flower is about to bloom. For a few short hours, the desert is transformed into a riot of color and sound as mammals and insects congregate for this miracle of nature. Explore the fascinating desert ecosystem—from pollinating fruit bats to howling mice—in this beautiful nonfiction picture book.Hawthorne's clean, elegant watercolor illustrations depict in striking detail a variety of flora and fauna, including the grasshopper mouse, which can stand on its hind legs and howl; the Gila woodpecker, which nests inside the cactus; a variety of insects; and the lesser long-nosed bat. The illustrations effectively convey the drama of the big-sky terrain and anticipation of the night flowering...A lightly done but compelling explanation of symbiosis among environment, animals, and plants that will appeal to science and visual arts enthusiasts alike.
—Kirkus Reviews

Beautifully, delicately illustrated pages bring the desert and its plants and animals to life in this nonfiction picture book told in clever and informative rhyming text...A great addition to children's nonfiction picture-book collections.
—Booklist

Hawthorne makes her nonfiction debut with this beautifully illustrated introduction to the saguaro cactus...With its rhyming text and stylized illustrations, this wonderful read-aloud possibility for an elementary school science unit will fascinate readers while conveying the importance of the saguaro in the desert ecosystem.
—School Library JournalLara Hawthorne is a graduate of Falmouth University in England. She is the author-illustrator olóZ