Big Tree

by Brian Selznick (Author) Brian Selznick (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

The fate of all life on Earth may depend on the bravery of two little seeds in this epic adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Medalist of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

"Hello, stars. I thought I heard you calling me."

A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams. She and her brother Merwin are Sycamore seeds, who hope to one day set down roots and become big trees. But when a fire forces them to leave their mama tree prematurely, they find themselves catapulted into the unknown, far from home. Alone and unprepared, they must use their wits and imagination to navigate a dangerous world--filled with dinosaurs, meteors, and volcanoes!--and the fear of never finding a safe place to grow up. As the mysterious voice gets louder, Louise comes to realize their mission in life may be much bigger than either of them ever could have imagined!

Brimming with humor, wonder, mystery, and a profound sense of hope, Big Tree is a trailblazing adventure, illustrated with nearly 300 pages of breathtaking pictures. It is Selznick's most imaginative and far-reaching work to date and a singular reading experience for the whole family.

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Hardcover
$32.99

Booklist

Starred Review
An enthralling and expansive meditation on what it means to be alive on this planet.

Kirkus Reviews

Patchy and sentimental but central to our past, present, and future; at once grand and intimate.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

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.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

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.

Review quotes

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

Brian Selznick
Brian Selznick's books have sold millions of copies, garnered countless awards worldwide, and been translated into more than 35 languages. He broke open the novel form with his innovative and genre-defying thematic trilogy, beginning with the Caldecott Medal-winning #1 New York Times bestseller The Invention of Hugo Cabret, adapted into Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning movie Hugo. He followed that with the #1 New York Times bestseller, Wonderstruck, adapted into the eponymous movie by celebrated filmmaker Todd Haynes, with a screenplay by Selznick, and the New York Times bestseller, The Marvels. Selznick's two most recent books for young people, Baby Monkey, Private Eye, an ALA Notable Book co-written with his husband David Serlin, and Kaleidoscope, a New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2021, were both New York Times bestsellers as well. He also illustrated the 20th anniversary edition covers of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. Selznick and Serlin divide their time between Brooklyn, New York and La Jolla, California. Learn more at thebrianselznick.com and mediaroom.scholastic.com/brianselznick.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781338180633
Lexile Measure
610
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Scholastic Press
Publication date
April 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
Library of Congress categories
Fiction
Trees
Seeds
Paleontology
Novels
Sycamores

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