Big Tree

Caldecott Medalist Selznick opens this sweeping illustrated novel in a Cretaceous forest as two sycamore seeds, drawn as diminutive figures with shocks of delicate fuzz, search for a place to take root after a forest fire's fallout propels them away from home. Louise, trusting and intuitive, often hears words from sources that can't be seen ("The voice I've been hearing, the dreams, the Old One... It's telling me there's danger"). Protective, anxious Merwin brushes his sister's insights aside ("We already know there's danger! There's danger everywhere!"), intent on finding a safe place to exist. Journeying through a lush, verdant world on the precipice of catastrophe, the two encounter varied outlooks via a host of beings who form Earth's web of life: self-important King Seaweed, tiny Scientists who record the data of countless generations, a Ghost Leaf who helps other plants grow. Silvery, deeply textural drawings move elegantly between planet-scale drama, microscopic life, and Louise and Merwin's shifting surroundings as the pace bounds inexorably onward, ending in a contemporary city where a Black child encounters a sidewalk-crack seedling. In evocative prose and peppery dialogue that sometimes get caught up in their message, the cinematic story journeys across time and space, contemplating the power of life to heal and the importance of developing "roots and wings." Back matter details the science behind the story. Ages 7-up. (Apr.)

Selznick returns with a majestically illustrated, modern-day parable...this tale, with its combination of a childlike narrative and profound illustrations, presents a big, universal story of taking care of the miraculous Earth on which we live. Selznick's signature art was created with pencil on hot pressed watercolor paper, and the texture and nuance of these nearly 300 pages will strike wonder in every reader....Weighty themes of connectedness, conservation, and the impact that one small voice can have on the fate of the universe might feel unfathomable and too big for children, but in Selznick's hands, this poignant fable will resonate with all readers, young and old. A special, one-of-a-kind book for the whole family that readers won't soon forget.

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for Big Tree:

The tale of the natural world is the greatest story we have to tell, and Brian delivers a brilliant chapter of that tale throughout the pages of Big Tree. — STEVEN SPIELBERG

Brian Selznick is a singular talent. Big Tree grips you from start to finish and resonates emotionally long after you have finished reading. — CHRIS MELEDANDRI, founder, Illumination

* Selznick's dedication to dual storytelling through text and hundreds of finely detailed pencil drawings allows for each to progress the plot in succession, creating a balanced and rich book that invites careful reading and poring over illustrations to find all of the connective threads. . . . His expressive art that highlights the heart of the story, paired with his keen eye for creating sympathetic and memorable lost children . . . are a powerful combination to bring to this epic quest. Selznick fans will be delighted, and dinosaur fans and nature buffs will likely be just as enthralled. — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred and recommended review

A labor of love—no, of passion—for the world and all the life it supports, Brian Selznick's Big Tree spreads its storytelling canopy to cover all of us. We're implicated, we're honored. We're family. — Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked

Inspirational, important, and beautiful. A fable for our times. — Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee and Ground Zero

Grand in scope, yet intimate and tender. Quintessential Selznick. A triumph! — Pam Muñoz Ryan, bestselling author of Esperanza Rising and the Newbery Honor Book Echo

Big Tree is exactly the kind of book the world needs most right now. — C.C. Harrington, author of the bestselling Indie's Introduce Pick and Schneider Family Book Award winner Wildoak