Did you know that animals, like dogs - like me - can get COVID? I didn't know that until this week, and I'm a little surprised! Usually human diseases and illnesses are not transmittable to animals, nor vice versa. But as my human has been home the last two days suffering through his second round of COVID since it appeared in the world in 2020 (I have never had it, though, thankfully...), it has afforded me some extra reading material, as he always has several books ready to read here at home. But since all he is doing is sleeping, all I am doing is...reading! I'm definitely getting the better side of this...
From the author and illustrator that brought us the sensational and groundbreaking book The Invention of Hugo Cabret way back in 2007, and several equally amazing books since, comes Brian Selznick's latest story, Big Tree. This is a story that takes place when dinosaurs roamed the earth, long before human beings arrived on the scene, and tells the story of two seeds from a sycamore tree, Louise and Merwin. They are young seeds in a seed pod that is prematurely separated from their mother due to an approaching fire, and the subsequent fleeing of animals through the forest. As the seed pod is liberated from the adult tree, the two seeds take flight, pushed farther and farther away by the heat of the fire, the movement of the animals below them, and simply by the wind. Big Tree is the story of these two seeds, different from each other in their outlook but tied together as siblings, both wanting to succeed in finding a safe place to grow up - a place with water, sunlight, and soil.
Selznick tells one version of nature's story, of the world, from how the Earth was formed to how life was introduced to the planet. It is a story rooted in science with wings of imagination as he explores the evolution of plant and animal life, how we all depend on each other, and ultimately how our current climate situation isn't bad for the planet, as is often discussed, but bad for us - all living creatures. The planet will survive, he suggests, but how do we make sure we survive? This is a hopeful, mysterious, humorous, and wonderful story, one most of you will enjoy.
What makes Selznick's books extraordinary is that they are roughly half written and half drawn. His books are all giant-looking chapter books, but really contain about as many pages of artwork as pages of words. His stories are always solid, and his artwork is always wonderful! I'm not sure he'll ever replicate the beauty of the Hugo Cabret book as far as his artwork goes, maybe since that was the first we saw of it. But he has successfully created his own style of book in young people's literature, and not many writers or artists can say that! 4 paws!
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