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{ "item_title" : "Big Tree", "item_author" : [" Brian Selznick", "Brian Selznick "], "item_description" : "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.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 SPIELBERGWe need brave, big stories like Big Tree]. --The New York Times Book ReviewHas the power to intrigue...affecting. -- The Wall Street Journal* An enthralling and expansive meditation on what it means to be alive on this planet. -- Booklist, starred review* A balanced and rich book. . . . Powerful.--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred and recommended review* In evocative prose and peppery dialogue . . . the cinematic story journeys across time and space, contemplating the power of life to heal. --Publishers Weekly, starred review* A special, one-of-a-kind book for the whole family that readers won't soon forget. -- School Library Journal, starred review* Masterful. -- The Horn Book, starred reviewInspirational, important, and beautiful. A fable for our times. -- Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee and Ground ZeroHello, 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 imaginedBrimming 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.The audiobook edition of BIG TREE is brought magnificently to life by Meryl Streep and features music composed by Ernest Troost.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/33/818/063/1338180630_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "32.99", "online_price" : "32.99", "our_price" : "32.99", "club_price" : "32.99", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "32.99" } }
Big Tree|Brian Selznick
Big Tree
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Overview

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.

"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

"We need brave, big stories like Big Tree]." --The New York Times Book Review

"Has the power to intrigue...affecting." -- The Wall Street Journal

* "An enthralling and expansive meditation on what it means to be alive on this planet." -- Booklist, starred review

* "A balanced and rich book. . . . Powerful."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred and recommended review

* "In evocative prose and peppery dialogue . . . the cinematic story journeys across time and space, contemplating the power of life to heal." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "A special, one-of-a-kind book for the whole family that readers won't soon forget." -- School Library Journal, starred review

* "Masterful." -- The Horn Book, starred review

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

"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.

The audiobook edition of BIG TREE is brought magnificently to life by Meryl Streep and features music composed by Ernest Troost.

Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781338180633
  • ISBN-10: 1338180630
  • Publisher: Scholastic Press
  • Publish Date: April 2023
  • Dimensions: 8.58 x 5.91 x 1.89 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.46 pounds
  • Page Count: 528
  • Reading Level: Ages 8-11

Related Categories

In previous bestselling, award-winning books such as The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck and The Marvels, author-illustrator Brian Selznick has centered his richly imagined, deeply cinematic stories on children growing up alone and navigating worlds both dangerous and wonderful. Selznick explores similar themes in Big Tree, but this novel’s children aren’t human; they’re the seeds from a massive sycamore tree. Louise and her brother Merwin (a nod to the poet W.S. Merwin) have spent their entire lives packed onto a seedball alongside their countless siblings, dangling from a branch of their enormous tree. Like all parents, Mama hopes to give her children “roots to settle down, and wings to bravely go where [they] need to go.” Louise is a dreamer, while Merwin is more of a pragmatist, and when a fire ravages their forest, the two must work together to find a safe place to put down roots. But the world and time itself have more in store for the siblings than even Louise’s wildest flight of imagination could conjure. It’s not uncommon for middle grade novels to focus on the natural world, but Big Tree’s devotion to plants rather than animals sets it apart. People do make an appearance in the book’s final chapter, but even then, their presence takes a backseat to Louise and Merwin’s story, which spans millennia and poses provocative questions about the relative prominence of the human species when compared with the vast history of planet Earth. Like many of Selznick’s novels, Big Tree is, well, big. At more than 500 pages, it’s epic and substantial, filled with significance, yet its text is spare and often feels like a fable. The narrative unfolds through both words and pictures, and some plot points are only conveyed visually. Exquisite double-page spreads of Selznick’s signature pencil artwork compose much of the book. Louise and Merwin’s story is an odyssey, a survival tale and an invitation to think both philosophically and scientifically about the world around us. It’s truly awe inspiring, and it’s sure to prompt readers to bring a sense of wonder to their next walk in the woods.

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