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Stretch to the Sun

From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree on Earth

Author Carrie A. Pearson
Illustrated by Susan Swan
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Hardcover
$17.99 US
Charlesbridge
8.94"W x 11.44"H x 0.41"D   | 17 oz | 30 per carton
On sale Oct 09, 2018 | 32 Pages | 978-1-58089-771-6
Age 5-8 years | Grades K-3
Reading Level: Lexile 690L | Fountas & Pinnell O
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"Visually appealing and ­enjoyable to read aloud, this book is a ­versatile introduction to redwood trees and forest conservation."
—School Library Journal

Step into the magical, but true, world of a coast redwood forest -- one of nature's most diverse environments. Experience the life of one tiny tree as it survives despite all odds and grows generation by generation into the tallest tree on earth today.

A recipient of a silver Eureka! Award from the California Reading Association for outstanding nonfiction.

A children's book about how a once tiny seedling, deep in the forest of Redwood National Park, that was protected by the animals and plants that surrounded it, stretched toward the sun to become the tallest known tree on earth. It survived ecological and human threats and flourished for over 1200 years. Logging in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries depleted the coastal redwood population significantly. But the creation of northern California's Redwood National Park in 1968 helped to save some of the ancient trees, like this one. The tree was discovered by tall tree scientists in 2006, but in the hopes to keep the tree safe, its exact location is kept secret.

Susan Swan’s eye-catching illustrations are made of found objects and hand-painted papers bringing a natural depth and texture to the story.

Peppered with impressive facts about trees and extensive backmatter, Pearson proves that every tree has a story to tell.
Readers follow the progress of a tiny sprout as it grows to be one of the tallest redwood trees ever discovered. Lyrical and gentle text, with a bit of understated repetition, sets the scene; this work begs to be read aloud. Swan’s collage-style artwork is appropriately dominated by a gorgeous spectrum of greens and browns. Many small animals and other details are hiding in the illustrations for children to discover. The story is experienced almost entirely from the tree’s perspective, and the tree is not concerned with human names or dates (the more fact-centric text is reserved for the “Facts About Coast Redwoods” back matter, a helpful guide for young kids and adults alike). In the only narrative leap away from the tree, “the president of the United States…signs a law protecting ­ancient trees.” In the back matter, ­sentences from the main story are revisited and ­explained. Here kids learn about the Gold Rush, the Save the Redwoods League, frenzied logging activity, the creation of Redwood National Park, and its expansion signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. ­VERDICT Visually appealing and ­enjoyable to read aloud, this book is a ­versatile introduction to redwood trees and forest conservation.
—School Library Journal
Carrie Pearson is a former early elementary teacher and the author of A Warm Winter Tail and A Cool Summer Tail. She hikes, bikes, runs, skis, windsurfs, kayaks, and swims--and writes about what she experiences. Carrie lives in Marquette, Michigan, with her husband and their three daughters.

Susan Swan holds an MFA from Florida State University. She works primarily in digital cut-paper collage, and when not creating pictures, she makes jewelry. She illustrated Out on the Prairie by Donna M. Bateman and Volcano Rising by Elizabeth Rusch. She lives in Ovilla, Texas with her husband. www.susanswan.com
Carrie A. Pearson View titles by Carrie A. Pearson
Susan Swan View titles by Susan Swan
Ferocious winter winds blow through a forest of coast redwood trees.
         Branches clatter. Twigs break. Limbs careen down, down, down. A giant redwood bends from the force of the wind.
         The giant tree falls, broken, and the forest floor trembles. Clods of dirt and chunks of wood fly hundreds of feet.
         Then…quiet. Just a whisper of wind. Just a rustle of leaves. Just a chirp from a bird. Then the sound of rain drip, drip, dripping on the ground for months. Until dewy spring air wakes the forest and…
         POP! A tiny tree, no bigger than a pinky finger, sprouts from the stump of the fallen tree.
Copyright © 2018 by Carrie A. Pearson (Author); Susan Swan (Illustrator). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

About

"Visually appealing and ­enjoyable to read aloud, this book is a ­versatile introduction to redwood trees and forest conservation."
—School Library Journal

Step into the magical, but true, world of a coast redwood forest -- one of nature's most diverse environments. Experience the life of one tiny tree as it survives despite all odds and grows generation by generation into the tallest tree on earth today.

A recipient of a silver Eureka! Award from the California Reading Association for outstanding nonfiction.

A children's book about how a once tiny seedling, deep in the forest of Redwood National Park, that was protected by the animals and plants that surrounded it, stretched toward the sun to become the tallest known tree on earth. It survived ecological and human threats and flourished for over 1200 years. Logging in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries depleted the coastal redwood population significantly. But the creation of northern California's Redwood National Park in 1968 helped to save some of the ancient trees, like this one. The tree was discovered by tall tree scientists in 2006, but in the hopes to keep the tree safe, its exact location is kept secret.

Susan Swan’s eye-catching illustrations are made of found objects and hand-painted papers bringing a natural depth and texture to the story.

Peppered with impressive facts about trees and extensive backmatter, Pearson proves that every tree has a story to tell.

Praise

Readers follow the progress of a tiny sprout as it grows to be one of the tallest redwood trees ever discovered. Lyrical and gentle text, with a bit of understated repetition, sets the scene; this work begs to be read aloud. Swan’s collage-style artwork is appropriately dominated by a gorgeous spectrum of greens and browns. Many small animals and other details are hiding in the illustrations for children to discover. The story is experienced almost entirely from the tree’s perspective, and the tree is not concerned with human names or dates (the more fact-centric text is reserved for the “Facts About Coast Redwoods” back matter, a helpful guide for young kids and adults alike). In the only narrative leap away from the tree, “the president of the United States…signs a law protecting ­ancient trees.” In the back matter, ­sentences from the main story are revisited and ­explained. Here kids learn about the Gold Rush, the Save the Redwoods League, frenzied logging activity, the creation of Redwood National Park, and its expansion signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. ­VERDICT Visually appealing and ­enjoyable to read aloud, this book is a ­versatile introduction to redwood trees and forest conservation.
—School Library Journal

Author

Carrie Pearson is a former early elementary teacher and the author of A Warm Winter Tail and A Cool Summer Tail. She hikes, bikes, runs, skis, windsurfs, kayaks, and swims--and writes about what she experiences. Carrie lives in Marquette, Michigan, with her husband and their three daughters.

Susan Swan holds an MFA from Florida State University. She works primarily in digital cut-paper collage, and when not creating pictures, she makes jewelry. She illustrated Out on the Prairie by Donna M. Bateman and Volcano Rising by Elizabeth Rusch. She lives in Ovilla, Texas with her husband. www.susanswan.com
Carrie A. Pearson View titles by Carrie A. Pearson
Susan Swan View titles by Susan Swan

Excerpt

Ferocious winter winds blow through a forest of coast redwood trees.
         Branches clatter. Twigs break. Limbs careen down, down, down. A giant redwood bends from the force of the wind.
         The giant tree falls, broken, and the forest floor trembles. Clods of dirt and chunks of wood fly hundreds of feet.
         Then…quiet. Just a whisper of wind. Just a rustle of leaves. Just a chirp from a bird. Then the sound of rain drip, drip, dripping on the ground for months. Until dewy spring air wakes the forest and…
         POP! A tiny tree, no bigger than a pinky finger, sprouts from the stump of the fallen tree.
Copyright © 2018 by Carrie A. Pearson (Author); Susan Swan (Illustrator). All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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