Author: Brian Selznick
Illustrator: Brian Selznick
© Date: 2023
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Pages: 511
Chapters: Yes
Illustrations: Yes, graphic novel
Publisher Recommended Age: 8-12 years
Bonus Activities at End of Book: Not really, the afterword discusses the science and the inspirations for the story, also a poem
Summary from Book: “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 in the 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.
Illustrated with nearly three hundred pages of breathtaking pictures and brimming with humor, wonder, mystery, and a profound sense of hope, Big Tree is a mesmerizing journey and a singular reading experience for the whole family.
Note: This review is done from memory. I originally read this awhile ago.
Page Pig Thoughts: I was super excited about a nature based Brian Selznick book, but while I liked it, this one wouldn’t be at the top of my favorite books of his. I enjoyed the journey of the seeds and that Louise the dreamer maybe wasn’t so far out there as Merwin was worried she was. Big message themes play out in their adventures, like the scientists that never leave a certain room of a shell but profess to know everything. Mind you, the scientists’ job is only to collect the data, not to interpret it.
Although I should also note that I read this one twice. I never really read what the book was about, so I didn’t realize the time that the story was set in when I started the book. I am not the best versed on dinosaur eras, and I thought there was a modern day elephant and that one dinosaur was maybe supposed to be a mythical creature, I wasn’t sure. Also, I read through it rather quickly and thought that maybe I had missed a few other details, so I read it a second time. But figuring out the time period and rereading the story didn’t change how I felt about it or how well I understood what was going on.
I was also slightly confused about Spot, who appears to be a butterfly. But the text states that Spot escaped a cocoon. I thought that butterflies came from chrysalises and moths came from cocoons. So maybe Spot was a moth? This point made me wonder how accurate all of the science is really portrayed. But I am not a lepidopterist, so maybe I don’t understand the nuances of butterfly and moth phases.
While I did not like this as much as Hugo Cabret (review) or Wonderstruck (review), the story has beautiful messages about the resilience of nature and the smallest things and actions making a difference.
Use caution with younger or sensitive readers, the opening fire scene may be a bit heavy (see Items of Interest below).
Family Unit: Louise and Merwin are brother and sister from the same seed ball
Items of Interest:
- A fire burns through the forest, so the mother tree tells her seeds that it is time to fly.
- The giants (dinosaurs) are running frantically trying to escape the fire. As he floats away, Merwin sees his mother (an old sycamore tree) broken in half on the ground.
- Merwin and Louise hitched a ride on the back of an animal. A dinosaur then eats the small animal with Merwin and Louise still on its back. The animal then gets burped out of the dinosaur, so all three escape.
- After a volcano erupts, Merwin winds up alone and in the dark. He was trapped in a crack of a rock.
- Merwin eventually is able to hear the voices around him, including mother earth. He vibrates with a peace and joy that he previously did not know. His vibration connects him to the rest of the natural world.
- Louise had grown into a large tree and is able to rescue Merwin from his dark place. He is finally able to grow into a large tree and intertwine branches with Louise.