Awards
American Parents' Choice Award, International Reading Association Teachers' Choice Award
Best Science Book Award from the American Association for Children's Books
Awarded the Outstanding Book Award by the American Library Association

One day in the hot, dry desert, a red fruit falls from a saguaro cactus.
One of the seeds inside is carried down a Palobar tree by a desert rat.
Then one day, a sprout sprouted under the Palo Verde tree… .

Author Brenda Giberson, who believed that there was no reason why a cactus couldn't be the main character in a book, created a wonderful story that helps us understand the natural ecosystem through the life of the giant saguaro cactus, which grows only in the desert.
The realistic depiction of artist Megan Lloyd, who was so passionate about the subject that he even visited the National Saguaro Cactus Monument, combined with the visual beauty of a nature documentary, successfully naturally turned children's attention to nature.
On a hot desert day, when birds and animals tire of foraging, they come to rest on the giant cactus.
This cactus is the Hotel Saguaro of the desert.
Saguaro protects the animals that make their homes on its body, and the animals eat the pests crawling on the cactus's body, preventing the cactus from getting sick.
The Cactus Hotel, where one animal leaves and another comes in, never has an empty room.
Stories about deserts, giant cacti, and the various animals that live within them will inspire children to understand and be interested in nature and the ecosystem.

Recommended reviews

This is an ecological picture book about the Saguaro cactus in the desert.
When a Saguaro cactus seed falls into the desert and grows, desert animals build homes there like apartments.
The detailed and colorful painting beautifully depicts the life cycle of a cactus.
This is a great picture book that lets you feel the vitality of plants and animals living in the desert.

- [Children's Book Research Association]