Review of Cactus Queen

Minerva Hoyt Establishes

Joshua Tree National Park

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Calkins Creek

(Astra Books for Young Readers)

(pub. 3.5.2024)

40 pages

Ages 7 -10

Author: Lori Alexander

   Illustrator: Jenn Ely

Character: Minerva Hoyt

Overview:

" Long before she became known as the Cactus Queen, Minerva Hamilton Hoyt found solace in the unexpected beauty of the Mojave Desert in California. She loved the jackrabbits and coyotes, the prickly cacti, and especially the weird, spiky Joshua trees.

However, in the 1920s, hardly anyone else felt the same way. The desert was being thoughtlessly destroyed by anyone and everyone. Minerva knew she needed to bring attention to the problem. With the help of her gardening club, taxidermists, and friends, she took the desert east and put its plants and animals on display. The displays were a hit, but Minerva needed to do much more: she wanted to have the desert recognized as a national park.

Although she met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and won him over, Minerva still had to persuade politicians, scientists, teachers, and others to support her cause. And, it worked! Minerva’s efforts led to what came to be known as Joshua Tree National Park in California, and saved hundreds of thousands of plants and animals. Now, the millions of people who visit each year have learned to love the desert, just as Minerva did.."

Tantalizing taste:

"Wide and wondrous, it was unlike anything Minerva had seen before.

Joshua trees dotted the desert in every direction. Straight. Twisty. Short. Tall. These strange plants grew nowhere else on Earth.

Minerva found herself visiting the desert more often, especially after the death of her husband in 1918.

She nestled inside her sleeping bag atop the sandy soil. The wind whistled through the Joshua trees. Bright constellations swirled overhead.

' I stood and looked. Everything was peaceful, and it rested me.'"

And something more: The author, Lori Alexander, shared in the Author's Note: "Learning about Minerva's mission was both inspiring and humbling. Her passion benefited not only the desert plants and animals but all of us who enjoy visiting this unique region. Vandalism, urban development, and the effects of climate change prove the fight is not over.

In 2020, a group of environmentalists raised their voices and wrote to the government - just like Minerva! They asked that Joshua trees be placed on the California Endangered Species list. The state agreed to temporarily protect all Joshua trees while a team further reviews the case."

Review of Daughter of the Light-Footed People

The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion

Lorena Ramirez

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Atheneum Books for Young Readers

(Simon Kids)

(pub. 6.11.2024)

40 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Belen Medina

   Illustrator: Natalia Rojas Castro

Character: Lorena Ramirez

Overview:

" Experience a sixty-mile run with Indigenous athlete Lorena Ramírez [from Mexico]. She runs in the traditional clothes of the Rarámuri, 'the light-footed people,' to show that her people and their way of life are alive and thriving—outpacing runners in modern, high-tech gear and capturing the world’s attention. Lorena’s career as an athlete is an inspiring real-life example of the power of perseverance that will encourage young readers to follow their own dreams."

Tantalizing taste:

"Quiet as a deer.

Quick as a rabbit.

Graceful as a gazelle.

She thinks of the finish line,

of her family,

and of her community,

not of giving up.

Fifty miles she runs."

And something more: In the About Lorena section at the back of the book, the author, Belen Medina writes: "Life is not easy for the Rarámuri, Lorena and her family must walk or run for hours through the canyon to buy food and supplies. This is one way she built her endurance. She also built up her stamina by herding the family's goats and cows, as well as play a Rarámuri running game where players kick a ball across miles...

Many of the Rarámuri, including Lorena, help their families make a living by winning races ...

Lorena's persistence is what I find most inspiring about her. Whether she wins or loses a race, she stays determined and never compromises who she is."

Review of Go Forth and Tell

The Life of Augusta Baker,

Librarian and Master Storyteller

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Dial Books for Young Readers

(Penguin Random House)

(pub. 2.6.2024)

40 pages

Ages 5-8

Author: Breanna J. McDaniel

   Illustrator: April Harrison

Character: Augusta Baker

Overview:

"Before Augusta Braxton Baker became a storyteller, she was an excellent story listener. Her grandmother brought stories like Br’er Rabbit and Arthur and Excalibur to life, teaching young Augusta that when there’s a will, there’s always a way.

When she grew up, Mrs. Baker began telling her own fantastical stories to children at the 135th Street branch of the New York Public Library in Harlem. But she noticed that there were hardly any books at the library featuring Black people in respectful, uplifting ways. Thus began her journey of championing books, writers, librarians, and teachers centering Black stories, educating and inspiring future acclaimed authors like Audre Lorde and James Baldwin along the way.

As Mrs. Baker herself put it: 'Children of all ages want to hear stories. Select well, prepare well and then go forth and just tell.'"

Tantalizing taste:

"She decided to use her voice - not just to share the stories she already knew, but to search out new ones, and even create some of her own.

Augusta remembered how the heroes in her grandmother's stories sometimes started out at the bottom but would rise up!

She wanted Black children to have heroes that rose up and looked, talked and shined bright ... just like them."

And something more: In the Author's Note, Breanna J. McDaniel shares a photo of herself with her childhood librarian, Ms. Michelle Carnes (to whom she dedicates the book) and explains: "Standing cheek-to-cheek with a woman who had known me when I was a young, passionate-about-everything girl and had, with her guidance and grace, helped me grow into the scholar and writer I am today, I fully understood why Audre Lourde adored Augusta Baker so much. Ms. Baker had taught her to read. She had saved her life, just as my own librarian had saved mine."