STRETCH TO THE SUN: From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree on Earth written by Carrie A. Pearson and illustrated by Susan Swan is a fascinating, informative and well-designed picture book about the beauty, significance, and importance of the coast redwoods.
The story begins hundreds of years ago when strong winter winds blowing through a forest of coast redwoods brings down a majestic tree. Then something miraculous happens: A tiny sprout barley two inches tall grows out from the stump and begins its striving upward for light as well as moisture from the leaf-covered and rain-soaked ground.
This miraculous story continues sometimes over centuries as the tree starts its “stretch to the sun” and grows unique branches that form platforms covered by ferns, lichens, leaves, bark, and moss. The coast redwood is able to replace branches that happen to break.
The illustrations rendered in rich shades of green and brown beautifully depict the community of forest life that develops on and around these platforms including butterflies, birds, eagles, owls, raccoons, flying squirrels, and bears. A gatefold pulls out revealing the beauty of a 380-foot cost redwood, the tallest tree on earth, discovered in 2006.
The extensive back materials historically track the growth pattern of these majestic trees, the problems posed by loggers for the survival of these ancient trees and the development of The Redwood National Park in northern California.
STRETCH TO THE SUN: From a Tiny Sprout to the Tallest Tree on Earth written by Carrie A. Pearson and illustrated by Susan Swan is designed for children 4-8 years of age and includes back materials that will also be of interest to older siblings (Charlesbridge, 2018).
Questions for Stretch to The Sun
James Wheeler, park ranger for the National Park Service, told the author that every tree has a story to tell. What did he mean by that? Do any of the trees in your backyard or neighborhood or schoolyard have a story to tell? Close your eyes and try to see one of those trees. Are children playing around it? Are there birds nesting in it? Are the leaves changing? Does it give shade in the afternoon? Study it. Give your tree a name. Make up a story for the tree based on your observations. Tell the story of your tree to a parent or grandparent.
Have you learned any new words while reading this book? Find the definition of these words in the story and/or the back materials: duff, sprout, canopy, lichens, platform, hollows and notches, reiteration, salamanders, loggers, flumes, and burl.
Many animals and birds live in and around coast redwood trees. Take a look at the structure and shape of the tree featured in this book from its base to its crown. Draw your own picture of a coast redwood and populate it with owls, squirrels, eagles, bees, deer, bears, salamanders and a variety of birds. Place them on limbs, in hollows and notches in the trunk, on platforms and around the base of the trunk. Have fun!
