Sequoia

K-Gr 3—In quiet, lyrical text, Johnston personifies a giant sequoia tree and brings it to life. Readers follow the tree through the seasons: "Summers, from his post above lower trees, he sniffs the breeze. Sometimes he feels the very heat, shimmering everywhere…Autumns, among shifting drifts of leaves, he feels a chill entering his bones." Minor's luminous goauche paintings successfully capture the grandeur of these trees with dramatic shifts in perspective, from standing at the base of the tree gazing up to perching near the canopy, looking over the forest. Numerous animals that make their homes among the sequoias are shown in the illustrations, but not all are mentioned in the text. Though this is more of a poetic introduction than a research source, a one-page note at the end explains the difference between sequoias and their coastal cousins the redwoods, identifies threats to the trees, and includes a helpful range map.