common core · informational writing · interview · mentor texts · poetry

The Story of the Giant Sequoia

Stacey Shubitz
Permission to share the images in this post were granted by Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book and Wendell Minor.

Rhyming well in picture books has to be done just right.  Otherwise, you land up with inverted phrases, misplaced stress on words, and/or difficult rhythm. (For more on this read Ruth Beach’s “A Word About Rhyme: What Goes Wrong and How to Fix It” in SCBWI’s Sept./Oct. 2014 Bulletin.) My heart is happy when I encounter a picture book where the rhyming is just right.  Sequoia is that kind of book.

I fell so in love with Tony Johnston and Wendell Minor’s Sequoia, which will be released on September 23rd, that I interviewed both of them.  This is only my second time interviewing an author and illustrator for a blog post, which I hope shows you how much I hope you’ll adopt this book as a mentor text in your classroom. (Thus, you can share Johnston and Minor’s insights with your students.) If you’ve never stood beneath a sequoia, then you must read this book.  It’s the next-best thing to visiting the giant sequoia trees in California.

Sequoia is a lyrical text that teaches children about these enormous trees in a unique way. It tells the story of the giant sequoia trees by helping readers understand the things the sequoia sees, hears, feels, and witnesses. There’s an excellent author’s note in the back f the book that provides readers with more information about sequoias, as well as a bibliography of other books you can read about these incredible trees.

I have concerns with poetry getting short shrift in writing workshop since it was excluded from the Common Core (in writing).  One way I think you can use this text is by encouraging students to craft informational poems about a topic they’re researching (i.e., in lieu of a research report or all-about book).  In a way, this is more challenging since you have to teach your students how to research and write about their topic lyrically.  However, it’s a way to bring the beauty of poetry into your classroom while still working towards meeting the standards.

INTERVIEW WITH WENDELL MINOR

SAS: How did you get started with children’s book illustrating?

WM:  After arriving in New York from Illinois, I worked for the legendary book jacket designer, Paul Bacon (Paul Bacon Studio) from late 1968 thru the summer of 1970, then started my own studio in October of 1970. I never worked at a publishing house, but I did freelance for several of the biggest publishing houses in New York and Boston. My first book, Mojave, was published in 1988. I was fortunate to work with very accomplished writers initially: Diane Siebert, Charlotte Zolotow, and Jean Craighead George, just to name a few.

SAS:  How did you collaborate with Tony Johnston?

WM:  We’ve known each other for years. (We did Cat Was That? years ago.) Occasionally she’ll come up with an idea or a manuscript she wants me to consider.

Tony has a spiritual sensuality when she writes about nature – much like John Muir. Today, Children are so over-managed and so cloistered that many of them never have the opportunity to experience a true natural environment. If a book like SEQUOIA can inspire kids to encourage their family to go and see these trees or even a nature preserve near their home, then we’ve accomplished our goal: seeing is believing!

SAS:  I noticed in the artist’s acknowledgments that you thanked two people from Humboldt State University for the use of their photographs of the upper stories of Sequoias and Redwoods where few have ventured.  Aside from using photographs, how else did you prepare to illustrate this book about the giant Sequoias?

WM: I saw them when I was in California years ago, so I had my own files and my memory. It is my preference to spend time traveling to a specific sight to get a true sense of the place.  I’ve hiked the high Sierras and have seen the Coastal Redwoods and Kings Canyon. Once you’re there you never forget it.

Dr. Stephen C. Sillett and Marie E. Antoine and their team used an ascending camera to photograph the entire height of one of the tallest trees, which gives you an incredible sense of scale.  The camera runs straight up on a cable (rolling camera), taking continuous exposures that are pieced together.

SAS:  Would you talk more about the sketches on the endpapers?

WM: These are very typical of the preliminary drawings I do for paintings, but I liked them enough to use as endpaper art. The first spread is a Sequoia ground squirrel that eats the seeds and disperses them. The back endpaper is one of fully grown trees perhaps 3000 years old, with a boy and girl marveling at the immensity of these ancient giants.  The endpapers promote the passage of many centuries to the young reader.

SAS:  Who decides which text pairs with which illustration?

WM:  When I’m assigned a manuscript I’m pretty much given free rein.  I do a complete design, so I present a dummy with the text in place and in consort with the art.  As far as I’m concerned, the book is an art form that should be a complete marriage of words and pictures. Once I submit my completed dummy, I work with an in-house designer who will continue to refine the design and follow through with production specification all the way to final color proofs. I have had the good fortune of working with some great designers and enjoy working with them.

The end result of these collaborative efforts make for most attractive picture book possible! It’s something the average reader might not be aware of. You can usually tell when something works as a complete unit and when it doesn’t.

SAS:  What advice can you give to children who want to become an illustrator when they grow up?

WM:  Never give up. If you have a passion to do something, then you owe it to yourself to pursue that as hard and as long as you can to get the answer. My high school counselor advised me that I couldn’t survive as an artist, but my art teachers were always very supportive. The prevailing wisdom in our modern culture is that you can’t make a living in the arts. It’s hard to imagine now that I came from the Midwest to New York City with just a suitcase and a portfolio and find myself where I am today.

SAS:  What are you working on now?

WM: This is the Earth by Diane Z. Shore and Jessica Alexander is a picture book that is written in beautiful poetic prose.  The text takes in the sweep of “in the beginning, when the planet was wild,” then to man’s presence, and the continuing demand on the earth’s resources.                                   This is the Earth addresses the stresses that have been put on the planet, and how we can all live a “greener” life through conservation. I plan to have the book done late this fall.

I just finished (as author/illustrator) Daylight, Starlight, Wildlife for Nancy Paulsen. It’s a book about the creatures you may find in your backyard, whether it be in a small town, or suburb or city. I’ve seen every critter in the book on our property in Connecticut through the years. It shows the young reader that all kinds of wild things are around you every day, if you only take the time to notice.

INTERVIEW WITH TONY JOHNSTON

SAS:  When I spoke with Wendell, he said you have “almost spiritual sensuality about writing about nature… like John Muir.” That being said, what inspired you to write Sequoia?

TJ:  I went back through my file.  I wrote this in 1993.  I’m not exactly sure what inspired me… it’s a lifelong culmination of all of the things I love.  I grew up in the country, collecting bugs as a child. I collected images.  Some of the books I can remember exactly what set it off, but this one I really don’t know.

SAS:  What would you like readers to get from reading Sequoia?

TJ:  For me, it’s a hymn to nature. I’d love if people were able to stand back and look around them and see the beauty wherever they are. Not just in this one place, but everywhere.

SAS:  Can you talk about your research process?

TJ:  I usually don’t research.  For me, it’s very visceral and emotional.

The only research for Sequoia, was the back matter. I talked with Jim Folsom (Head of Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA).  We jumped in his truck and looked at sequoias and redwoods.  He’d grab a piece off and showed what a piece looked like.  We’d sit down and talk about the problems a particular tree faced and its future.

SAS:  You’ve published over 75 books. What’s your secret to finding new things to write about? How do you come up with new book ideas?

TJ: As N.C. Wyeth said, “Keep alive to everything.” You can be cooking or singing… If you’re really paying attention, there’s never a day that goes by where an idea doesn’t come along that you can fiddle around with.

These days I get interesting ideas from my grandchildren.  Noah came home from Kindergarten and said “They didn’t teach us how to read.” “We’re learning the letters, but what do they do?” This led to the MAGIC OF LETTERS.  The ideas are just there if you’re paying attention.

It’s about what the letters do in a convoluted way.

Sometimes I hear a song at the dentist’s office and I think, “Well, maybe that would be a story.” Sometime it is and sometimes it isn’t.  If you’re walking through the world with your eyes open, you have a much better chance of creating whatever you want to create.

SAS:  What are you working on now?

TJ:  I want to do a counting book about owies (like a hurt), like how children call their many bumps and bruises.

I do a lot of my writing in my head.  Everything is kind of spooled around before I ever get to the paper.  A lot of writing is internal.  Eventually it gets somewhere else.

 

TAKE A LOOK INSIDE OF SEQUOIA

Images courtesy of Roaring Brook Press/A Neal Porter Book.  Sketches courtesy of Wendell Minor.

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

  • This giveaway is for a copy of Sequoia.  Many thanks to Roaring Brook Press for donating a copy for one reader.
  • For a chance to win this copy of Sequoia, please leave a comment about this post by Sunday, September 21st at 11:59 p.m. EDT. I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winners, whose names I will announce at the bottom of this post, by Tuesday, September 23rd.
  • Please be sure to leave a valid e-mail address when you post your comment, so I can contact you to obtain your mailing address if you win.  From there, my contact at Roaring Brook Press will ship your book out to you.  (NOTE: Your e-mail address will not be published online if you leave it in the e-mail field only.)

Comments are now closed.

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on this post.  Julie’s commenter number was selected so she’ll receive a copy of Sequoia.  Here’s what she wrote:

Thanks for this share. Given recent work in writing group this summer, my eyes perked up at rhyme. I have been amidst the Sequoias many many times. It is an otherworldly experience. And yet those towering giants are fragile too. I can’t wait to add this book to my collection, Stacey. Thanks for the recommendation. I loved the interview as well.

 

Published by Stacey Shubitz

I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island. I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010). I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.

68 thoughts on “The Story of the Giant Sequoia”

  3. This book is breathtaking and I can’t wait to own it. I love the advice about coming up with new ideas, “Keep alive to everything.” Thanks for sharing this interview Stacey. It is always so interesting to learn what the author and illustrator have to say about creating a book. Can’t wait to share this with students.

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  4. Beautiful! This will be a beautiful addition to an integrated unit. It’s difficult to find poetry books that will pull the students in. Can’t wait to see the illustrations up close, too!

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  6. I can’t wait to get a copy of this book and share it with my middle schoolers. I can tell it’s one of those skinny books kids of all ages need to see, hear, and read!

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  8. I am a New Yorker who lived in California for a few years. I would love to show my 5th graders how magnificent Sequoia trees truly are since went can’t walk around them.

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  12. This past summer I came across a post interviewing Wendell Minor about this very book. That day I went to our library and checked out every book that he illustrated from our library. His work is absolutely stunning and I can’t wait to see this one. Thanks for sharing the interview with us.

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  21. This year, my goal is to infuse as many different kinds of picture books into my lessons. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and should be appreciated by people of all ages – especially my 5th grade students!

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  24. What a gorgeous book this promises to be! I have been encouraging and modeling writing poetry about topics in nature. It’s a perfect match!

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  25. I love your idea about encouraging information poetry in writers’ workshop. I am going to use this book as a springboard for poetry when we study regions of the US. I really enjoy keeping up to date with your blog.
    Best to you!

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  33. I can’t wait for the release of Sequoia. I have many wonderful memories of spending time with these giants and look forward to sharing it with my students too. Thanks for making this book and for the interviews.

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  36. Thank you to you and the sponsors of the book giveaway. It is so important for students to have quality mentor texts for informational writing. I can’t wait to share this book with my students.I have fond memories of seeing my first giant Sequoia in Kilmacurragh, Ireland at the National Arboretum.

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  37. Hi. I am a 2nd grade teacher in a title 1 school in Charleston, SC. We are across the nation from you and, most of my kids will never see the vastness of the Sequoia. That is why I would love to share your beautiful book with them. I love bringing the world to them through rich literature. Thank you two writing teachers for your guidance in teaching writing.

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  38. The illustrations linked to my memories as a child. I will love that it can create an avenue for my student to stand there in awe as well.

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  40. This book looks amazing. I’m from CA so just seeing the cover brought me home a little. Thanks for sharing. I will order it for my library!

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  41. As a grandmother and volunteer in schools, I think this book will be a great one to share with elementary students in order to get them excited about Natural Wonders and taking care of our Earth! Students these ages love poetry and appreciate lovely illustrations as well – especially when a subject is something new 🙂

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  44. I like that the book crosses content areas; I could use for writing and science. I’d love the opportunity to present Sequoia to my kindergarteners and let them get a feel for both the poetry of the text and the beauty of the illustrations.

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  48. What a wonderful book! I’d love to share this with my Creative Writing class as a mentor text when we write poetry. I’ve experienced the great Sequoia trees, but a majority of my students have not. I’ll be adding this title to my Wish List.

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  50. I agree. I worry about the lack of poetry in the CCSS and look for ways to include it in my writer’s workshop. We do have some flexible units in our curriculum, and I hope to focus on poetry for some of the time. I think Sequoia would be a strong mentor text for my second graders.

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  53. Thank you for introducing me to these authors and this beautiful book. We are practicing Balanced Literacy in our district, and this is perfect for my math/science class. 🙂

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  55. Stacey, I would have commented on this post regardless of a giveaway because I love Wendell Minor’s artwork so much. I just learned of this newest book Friday when I was showing my class his Celebridot. The dot was of a sleeping squirrel or chipmunk- perhaps the squirrel that Mr. Minor mentioned here in your interview. That post included a picture of the cover of Sequoia. Can’t wait now for next Tuesday when the book is officially released. Thanks for sharing this review and interview. I love hearing how authors and illustrators work, and how the whole book making process goes.

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  56. Oh my word and the lovely use of them here. The illustrations are amazing and thank you for interviewing the author and illustrator. It will be a great pairing with the text when we use this text with students. We are always striving to help students to recognize the work behind the work.

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  59. Looks like a fabulous book. Thanks for the introduction. I also love the interviews, in particular how Johnson goes back to his “file” to something he “fiddled” with so many years ago. And the reading lesson inherent in his grandchild’s comment, “We’re learning the letters but what do they do?” Applicable to older kids too, who may be “reading” but not really learning what that can do for/with/to them.

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  61. I love the comment about it being a “marriage between illustration and text”. That’s so true! There’s something profound when try go together perfectly! Can’t wait to read this book!

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  64. Thanks for this share. Given recent work in writing group this summer, my eyes perked up at rhyme. I have been amidst the Sequoias many many times. It is an otherworldly experience. And yet those towering giants are fragile too. I can’t wait to add this book to my collection, Stacey. Thanks for the recommendation. I loved the interview as well.

    Like

  65. I have never seen the giant Sequoias, but this book….with it’s rich language and beautiful art… has inspired me to want to plan a visit! Thanks for continuing to share new resources for use in Writers Workshop!

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  66. Looks like a must buy book! Thank you for including a interview with the author and illustrator. More interesting info to share with students.

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  67. You share the most beautiful books, and I thank you for that. The illustrations are exquisite, and the language is music to my ears. Reminds me a bit of Twilight Comes Twice. Thank you for sharing.

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