Everyone Starts Small

by Liz Garton Scanlon (Author) Dominique Ramsey (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade
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.
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Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
Transcendent and brimming with the promise of life’s renewal.

Publishers Weekly

Starting with a cross-section of a young plant, this eco-tale of change and renewal articulates a vision of cyclical natural harmony. Early lines build on the title, spotlighting the universal ("Everyone starts small/ and then grows./ Sun grows beams"), while pages center a maturing tree experiencing drought, fire, and rain-ignited dormancy before cycling back to growth. Though the focus is on ecological processes, expressive dialogue and description personify elements including rain and wind ("I'm tired, whispers Fire"). Ramsey's curving digital renderings emphasize flow: green hills undulate with gently bent grass blades, and thick-drawn cloud curlicues sweep across skies. Aside from some surprisingly googly-eyed ants, scenes primarily feature vegetation, soil, and weather. Meanwhile, Scanlon's prose provides depth for a compelling portrait of ecosystem interconnection. An author's note concludes. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

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 

Liz Garton Scanlon
Liz Garton Scanlon is the author of nearly 20 beloved picture books, including All the World, which received a Caldecott Honor and which School Library Journal called "perfection" in a starred review. Her other picture books include I Want a Boat! and Thank You, Garden, as well as the upcoming The World's Best Class Plant (May 2023.) Scanlon is on the faculty of the Vermont College of Fine Arts and is a frequent and popular presenter at schools, festivals and conferences. She lives in Austin, Texas. Bibsy Cross is her first chapter book.

Dung Ho is the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling picture book Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, which was featured in Forbes, Oprah Daily, The Cut, and Book Riot. It also received three starred reviews and was a School Library Journal, Bank Street, and Kirkus Best Book of the Year. Dung also illustrated its companion picture book, Eyes that Speak to the Stars. She studied graphic design at the Hue University College of Arts and then worked in the design and advertising industry before pivoting to illustration. Born and raised in Hue, Vietnam, Dung now lives in Ho Chi Minh City.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781536226157
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
March 26, 2024
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV009100 - Juvenile Fiction | Concepts | Seasons
JUV029010 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Environment
JUV070000 - Juvenile Fiction | Poetry (see also Stories in Verse)
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Seasons
Life cycles (Biology)

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