Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park

About this book

A 2025 Bank Street College of Education Cook Prize Silver Medalist The Nature Generation's 2025 Green Earth Book Award Short List How did the Joshua Tree National Park in California come to be? Meet Minerva Hamilton Hoyt, an artist, activist, and environmentalist, whose determination saved the desert and helped to create the park, in this STEAM picture book. 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.

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Why widely assigned

This Juvenile Nonfiction title, typically at grades 2–3. Published in the canon; cited across 1 curriculum framework.

Where this book is assigned

• Great Lakes Great Books Award

  • recommended·2nd grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2026-27 nominee (official GLGBA nominee press release + nominees list, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference; Michigan students vote through January 9, 2027) — 2-3 division
  • recommended·3rd grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award 2026-27 nominee (official GLGBA nominee press release + nominees list, announced March 7, 2026 at the MRA Annual Conference; Michigan students vote through January 9, 2027) — 2-3 division

Common questions

What grade level is Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park?

Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 2–3. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.

How long does it take to read Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park?

It takes about 50 minutes to read Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park (44 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 50 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.

What curricula assign Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park?

Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park appears on reading lists for Great Lakes Great Books Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Is Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park banned in schools?

Cactus Queen: Minerva Hoyt Establishes Joshua Tree National Park does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.