Creepy Cactus Guy

This is a fictional thriller for little ones who like to be mildly frightened. It's a short story that is guaranteed to hold the attention of even the littlest listeners and up to the second- or third-grade level. It is about a very tall spooky-looking saguaro cactus whose silhouette looks like a giant person in the darkness of night to the children who encounter him. They naturally assume he is creepy with all his pokey thorns sticking out and watching over them each day, but they soon find out the truth about him and his special abilities. There is a good life lesson that the children will learn after one scary night in the desert.

The author created this story one night after desperately trying to get her very rambunctious two-year-old granddaughter to sit still long enough to realize she was sleepy. Living in Arizona, this very saguaro cactus lived right outside the back patio where they were sitting. The author told her lively granddaughter that the creepy cactus guy was looking at her; that caught the attention of the little one, and she quickly jumped into her grandma's lap and sat ever so still while the story came to be.