Description

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Sun and Grass, Water and Tree, Fire and Rain—nature’s cycle of creation unfolds in a compelling lyrical text and striking illustrations.

Sun grows beams
and Grass grows blades
and Cloud cannot contain herself.

Spring rains change Water from a tumbling creek to a roaring river and bring Tree nutrients it needs to stretch toward the sky. As Sun’s rays intensify, the sprouts and fruits and insects of the forest grow and bloom and develop, all working together in harmony. Even Fire, whose work causes Tree to ache from the inside, brings opportunity for the next generation of flora and fauna. Paired with the vivid, organic imagery of Dominique Ramsey, Liz Garton Scanlon’s poetic tribute to our planet’s resilience is a resonant story of life, death, and regeneration.

About the Author

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Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of many books for young people, including the Caldecott Honor picture book All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, and her debut novel for middle-grade readers, The Great Good Summer. Her recent novel Lolo’s Light was a Kirkus Reviews Best Middle-Grade Book of the Year. Liz Garton Scanlon is on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Austin, Texas.

Dominique Ramsey is an award-winning illustrator and designer whose work has been featured by the Society of Illustrators, the Art Directors Club, American Illustration, and more. Everyone Starts Small is her debut picture book. Dominque Ramsey lives in North Carolina.

Praise For…

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From the beginning of this exquisite book, text and art meld to demonstrate that all life starts out insignificant, then remarkably explodes into breathtaking magnificence. . . . The text is simple and simply lovely, expressing in a clear, comprehensible way how intertwined everything in nature is. The beautiful, eye-popping digital illustrations are lushly textured. Transcendent and brimming with the promise of life’s renewal.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

With a folkloric tone, Scanlon offers young readers a reverent, accessible bit of science. . . a celebration of the natural world.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Starting with a cross-section of a young plant, this eco-tale of change and renewal articulates a vision of cyclical natural harmony. . . Scanlon’s prose provides depth for a compelling portrait of ecosystem interconnection.
—Publishers Weekly