Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I’m so glad that March is a long month…31 days…because it’s also Women’s History Month and we’ve been celebrating picture books that feature extraordinary female characters. I’m so excited to share this brand-new book from Lori Alexander and Jen Ely: CACTUS QUEEN: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park. And the lovely Lori, knowing how busy I’ve been with #50PreciousWords, kindly stopped by to share the following information with us – and I just had to add the craft activity. And make sure you hang around to the end of the post and leave a comment because Lori is offering a super amazing giveaway: Winner’s choice of a Picture Book Critique or an Ask-Me-Anything Zoom chat. WELCOME to Lori!!!

Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park

Written by Lori Alexander

Art by Jenn Ely

Published by Calkins Creek/Astra BYR

Ages: 7-10

Themes: Women’s Biography, Environment, Determination

LORI: Discovering a lesser-known historical figure can be quite a treat for a nonfiction picture book author. When I learned about Minerva Hoyt’s unusual means to garner attention for her cause—protecting her favorite spot, the Joshua tree region of the Mojave desert—I knew this was a story kids would love.

In the early 1900s, this area was being destroyed by construction, harvesting, arson, and general carelessness. Minerva’s methods to combat the damage included trains, planes, automobiles, flower shows, scrapbooking, a letter writing campaign, and ultimately delivering her message all the way to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Very impressive, as this was a time when not everyone was open to hearing what a woman had to say.

This story is also meaningful to me as I visited Joshua Tree National Park as a child, which wasn’t too far from my home in San Diego, CA. Now I live with my own family in another desert—the Sonora desert of Tucson, AZ. The issues of conservation that Minerva addressed are still relevant to us today. The back matter in CACTUS QUEEN gives additional resources and tips for the next generation of environmentalists. I hope you enjoy reading about mighty Minerva!

WOW! That was fascinating. We always love to hear the story behind the story.
And here’s a little bit about Lori and links for you to connect with her and buy her books:
In addition to picture books, LORI ALEXANDER writes chapter books about the fascinating history of science and medicine. She won a Sibert Honor Award for All in a Drop: How Antony van Leeuwenhoek Discovered an Invisible World, and A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book. Her recent release, What’s a Germ, Joseph Lister?: The Medical Mystery That Forever Changed the Way We Heal, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Lori resides in Tucson, Arizona, with her scientist husband and two book-loving teens. lorialexanderbooks.com
Lori occasionally posts to IG: @lorialexanderbooks or Twitter: @LoriJAlexander
Peek into or purchase CACTUS QUEEN here.

Lori is offering a picture book critique OR a 20-minute “Ask-Me-Anything” Zoom to one lucky commenter!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Cactus Crafts

For detailed instructions on any of these cactus crafts: https://funcraftskids.com/10-cactus-crafts-to-delight/

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend…please remember to leave a comment and share widely on social media for a chance to WIN the awesome giveaway – an opportunity for a critique or chat with Lori Alexander!