"Sunlight streamed through the water and lit up
the walls of the old shell from the inside like a
pink pearl. Merwin and Louise looked around
the watery space. The bottom of the shell was
buried deep in the sand, with no way to dig beneath
it. They were trapped.
Merwin gently held Louise's fluff, letting her know
she was safe, not like when they were with Mama,
who would focus all her attention on them and make
everything feel right and good."
Brian Selznick never ceases to amaze! In his earlier books, his focus has been on children growing up alone, and working to find a life in ways that are daring and admirable. In his new book, he turns his attention to the story of two sycamore seeds - Louise and Merwin. They begin in a seedball, along with numerous others. Their mama tree has big hopes for them; she hopes they will fly from her when the time is right and find a growing space where they can settle and thrive.
The world has other plans for them. A fire engulfs their forest, and the two are flung out into a new world where the passing of time forces them to work together to find a safe place. Louise is ever-optimistic, while Merwin is skeptical and fearful. Together, they find the courage and persistence to move forward through a series of epic adventures, although their paths diverge during that time. Only in Brian Selznick's fertile imagination can such a story find roots and draw readers into the adventure of a lifetime. Focusing on plants in nature, he tells a thrilling and engrossing tale about Earth's history without mentioning humans until the final chapter.
This tale is more than 500 pages long, and is told in words and pictures with the illustrations often carrying specific scenes without benefit of text. Any fan of his previous works (The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck, The Marvels, Kaleidoscope, and Baby Monkey Private Eye) will recognize the grandeur of his work. The meticulous double-page spreads demand careful attention as they tell this tale of survival steeped in the wonder of the natural world.
The afterword includes annotated notes on the real science found throughout, a selected bibliography, and a backstory on the book’s origin as well as a list of acknowledgements that include poet W. S. Merwin whose work in creating a palm forest resulted in the Merwin Conservancy on the island of Maui.
“Louise and Merwin knew that even the smallest among them could fight for the future, no matter how impossible or dangerous things seemed right now.”
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