An ordinary train ride becomes and extraordinary trip to the great ancient forests. A subway trip is transformed when a young boy happens upon a book about redwood forests. As he reads the information unfolds, and with each new bit of knowledge, he travels - all the way to California to climb into the Redwood canopy. Crammed with interesting and accurate information about these great natural wonders, Jason Chin's first book is innovative nonfiction set within a strong and beautiful picture storybook.
Told from the perspective of a young boy, this book uses child-friendly language to introduce kids to the magnificent redwood trees. The illustrations are visually intriguing, especially when the boy seemingly enters the book by picking it up off a subway bench, reading it and then disembarking at a mysterious subway stop in the middle of the redwood forest. Early elementary school children, particularly those with an interest in nature, will be amazed by the facts in this book. The author does a wonderful job of making the facts easily understandable for kids, such as explaining that a car could drive through a tunnel in the trunk of a redwood or that the tallest tree is as tall as a skyscraper.
If your family is planning a trip to the redwood forest, this is the perfect book to introduce your kids to the amazing sights they will soon see. Even if a trip is not in your future, you can help put the story in perspective by taking your kids to a local forest and comparing the size of the trees or showing them real pictures of the redwoods online. An extra page at the back of the book also tells about the endangered status of the great trees and it's a great starting point to discuss the importance of protecting nature with your child.
I remember visiting the redwoods when I was seven years old and this story brought back a lot of personal memories. Just as the boy in the story discovers the immense size of the trees, I recall seeing the tree trunks that were big enough to drive a car through and stretching my arms out wide across the trunk. I shared this book with three-year-old Emily, the little girl I babysit, and she decided that she wants to go on an adventure to see the trees too. Although she's too young to understand all the facts, she fell in love with the flying squirrel that accompanies the boy on his trip through the redwoods and loved the illustrations.
--Abby