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A review by turrean
Big Tree by Brian Selznick
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Selznick’s intricate drawings of two tiny seeds gradually reveal the history of life on earth.
The way the story and the illustrations play with scale is magical. The slow, steady pace of the text, encompassing both serenity and catastrophe, gives the reader the sense of the millennia passing. In the same way, the artwork illuminates the size and complexity of our universe through the shift of perspective from the very tiny (we need ten pages of drawings for the seeds to perceive a passing dinosaur) to the immense (pages which show the big bang and the origins of the solar system.)
The way the story and the illustrations play with scale is magical. The slow, steady pace of the text, encompassing both serenity and catastrophe, gives the reader the sense of the millennia passing. In the same way, the artwork illuminates the size and complexity of our universe through the shift of perspective from the very tiny (we need ten pages of drawings for the seeds to perceive a passing dinosaur) to the immense (pages which show the big bang and the origins of the solar system.)