Cactus Queen

January 1, 2024
This picture-book biography introduces young readers to the conservation efforts of Hoyt, focusing mainly on her life after the death of her husband in 1918. Newly married in 1897, they had moved to Pasadena, California, where it was only a matter of time before she fell in love with the Mojave Desert. She was particularly interested in Joshua trees, which are not trees at all but rather the largest member of the yucca plant family. By 1933, the Joshua trees and their habitat were threatened by carelessness (people cut them down for wood), and Hoyt hatched a plan to designate the area as a national park, preserving this unique ecosystem. It was a hard sell, but she -- and the activists she inspired -- were ultimately successful. "No one who heard her talk could ever again regard the subject of conservation of desert flora with indifference," said a fellow environmentalist. Ely's cozy gouache illustrations (double-page spreads, single-page drawings, and spot art) depict both Hoyt's plucky spirit and the majesty of the high desert landscape. More information about Hoyt and Joshua Tree National Park, along with tips for environmental activists, photographs, an author's note, and a select bibliography, are appended. Jonathan Hunt

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

February 1, 2024
One woman made a huge difference in keeping an extraordinary environment alive. After Minerva Hoyt and her husband moved to Southern California in 1897, she became so enraptured by the Mojave Desert and its remarkable Joshua trees that she set out to preserve the desert's unique, wild beauty and save it from depredation. To accomplish this goal, Minerva decided to bring the desert to the people. She reasoned that if the public could see the desert for themselves, they'd want to protect it, too. Minerva created large-scale, award-winning desert displays featuring native flora and stuffed fauna and brought them to New York, Boston, and London. Viewers were enchanted and agreed that the Mojave and its remarkable Joshua trees had to be protected. Minerva appealed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other public officials, and, at last, her efforts paid off, and her beloved desert was given national park status. Today, Joshua Tree National Park is a popular American landmark, and its plants and wildlife thrive. This is an admiring, well-written portrait of a woman who worked mightily to overcome indifference and a lack of knowledge and won out to the benefit of all. Quotes from Minerva and others appear throughout. Lively, colorful illustrations, created mostly in Acryla Gouache, as well as in colored pencil and collage, capture Minerva's enthusiasm and desert scenes teeming with life. A rousing tale about the rescuer of California's famed desert. (more about Minerva, wildlife in Joshua Tree National Park, national parks of the USA, author's note, tips for environmentalist activists, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 12, 2024
American activist Minerva Hoyt (1866–1945) shines in this motivating account of her efforts to get the Mojave Desert recognized as a national park. Alexander moves quickly through Hoyt’s early years, emphasizing her building collegial relationships as a child in Mississippi and later as a California transplant. The “wide and wondrous” Mojave Desert becomes a beloved spot, especially after the death of Hoyt’s husband. As overzealous desert visitors strip the landscape of its iconic Joshua trees and other desert plants, the subject hatches a plan to introduce desert flora to the East Coast in the hopes that appreciation will translate into landscape protection. While initial efforts to gain national park status for the area falter, Hoyt triumphs with the help of allies. Ely’s gouache, colored pencil, and collage artwork moves nimbly between portraits of Hoyt appreciating the natural landscapes and politicking. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Resources and an author’s note conclude. Ages 7–10.

Starred review from March 1, 2024

Gr 1-3-Were it not for the "Cactus Queen" Minerva Hoyt, the Joshua Tree National Park in California might never have existed. Hoyt, born in Mississippi before the turn of the last century, grew up to become an avid gardener, and moved to the Los Angeles area in the 1920s, just as the city was coming into its own. Hoyt often traveled to the Mojave Desert where she learned to appreciate the sparse desert landscape, especially the native Joshua trees. She noted with alarm how many of these unusual plants were being destroyed or uprooted, some for use in early Hollywood movie sets, and sought protection for the area by waging a one-woman campaign to bring attention to it. To convince people that the desert teemed with wildlife and interesting flora, she set up fabulous natural tableaux in cities. That fight eventually led to the establishment of the new national park. Bright desert hues fill illustrations in gouache and colored pencil that perfectly complement the upbeat text which is scattered with quotes from Hoyt's writings and speeches. This is a fascinating look into the life of a little-known environmental hero. Back matter includes additional information about Hoyt and wildlife in Joshua Tree National Park, photos of Joshua trees, a list of national parks in the U.S., an author's note, tips for environmental activists, and a selected bibliography. VERDICT A lively picture book biography with tie-ins to Earth Day and Women's History Month. Highly recommended.-Sue Morgan

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2024
Grades 1-3 In this tribute to the power of gentle but persistent persuasion, Alexander chronicles the efforts of a Pasadena socialite to preserve the desert she had come to love. Seeing the Mojave being despoiled by Angelenos heedlessly carting off Joshua trees and other rare flora for their yards, Minerva Hoyt responded by raising general interest with exotic displays at the 1928 International Flower Show and other exhibitions and by working her way into the White House to enlist support for a huge national monument--finally created in 1936 and established as a national park in 1994. Along with further biographical details, the author closes by tallying some of the designated reserve's distinctive wildlife and sharing observations about how the fragile desert ecosystem is still under threat. In Ely's group scenes of period garden party guests and visiting students, Hoyt's slim, smiling, neatly clad figure stands out, looking equally comfortable and confident sharing photo albums with FDR in the Oval Office, camping out amid cacti as coyotes howl, or leaning down for a close look at a live scorpion.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
This picture-book biography introduces young readers to the conservation efforts of Hoyt, focusing mainly on her life after the death of her husband in 1918. Newly married in 1897, they had moved to Pasadena, California, where it was only a matter of time before she fell in love with the Mojave Desert. She was particularly interested in Joshua trees, which are not trees at all but rather the largest member of the yucca plant family. By 1933, the Joshua trees and their habitat were threatened by carelessness (people cut them down for wood), and Hoyt hatched a plan to designate the area as a national park, preserving this unique ecosystem. It was a hard sell, but she -- and the activists she inspired -- were ultimately successful. "No one who heard her talk could ever again regard the subject of conservation of desert flora with indifference," said a fellow environmentalist. Ely's cozy gouache illustrations (double-page spreads, single-page drawings, and spot art) depict both Hoyt's plucky spirit and the majesty of the high desert landscape. More information about Hoyt and Joshua Tree National Park, along with tips for environmental activists, photographs, an author's note, and a select bibliography, are appended.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)