Redwoods

by Jason Chin

Hardcover, 2009

Status

Coming Soon

Call number

585

Collection

Children's Books

Genres

Children's Books

Nonfiction

All Topics

Publication

New York : Roaring Brook Press, c2009.

Description

A young city boy, riding the subway, finds an abandoned book about redwoods. He finds himself in the very forest described in the book. After finishing the book, he leaves it for someone else to read.

User reviews

LibraryThing member AlbertPascal

Jason Chin shows us through wonderful artwork and accessible text just how amazing the redwood trees are. His descriptions take us and a boy from the forest floor all the way to the top of the tree canopy. Along the way we learn about why this tree is so strong and hearty.

Like "Gravity" and "Coral

Reefs", this picture book of Chin's manages to balance a fairly in-depth science instruction with delightful sketches and a narrated story. His drawings are really exceptional.

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LibraryThing member sharty

In Redwoods by Jason Chin a young boy finds a book about redwood trees sitting on the subway bench. He reads the book and learns about these majestic trees as he rides, and as he reads, strange things begin to happen around him, and when he exits he finds himself in the redwood forest. As he

explores, he learns more about the trees. Many interesting facts are shared, and the illustrations are stunning. I found myself flipping back through the book for more details and to see it all again. I like that the book is found on a subway so that even children living in an urban area might feel an affinity with the character and his curiosity.

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LibraryThing member Katya0133

This book uses fantasy illustrations in a uniquely educational way to help children visualize the relationships between different environments. A beautiful picture book.

LibraryThing member debnance

I can see myself picking this as my favorite nonfiction picture book. I love the text and the pictures perfectly complement the text. Redwoods serve as a fascinating subject yet have not been overdone as a subject. The text information is supplemented with an author's note explaining his interest

in the subject and a note about the danger to redwoods. No bibliography which is disappointing but not absolutely necessary.There really is only one obstacle to adding this to my shortlist: What do kids think? I must try this book out on my primary students.A bit from the book:Redwoods by Jason Chin“The coast redwoods are among the oldest trees in the world. Their ancestors lived about 165 million years ago, during the Jurassic period.”(Illustrations show a boy reading a book about redwoods, getting on a subway, and sitting and reading the book on the subway while in the windows behind him lurk three green dinosaurs.”

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LibraryThing member blancaflor

a great imaginative nonfiction picture book.

LibraryThing member odonnell

"Redwoods" is an amusing combination of nonfiction facts about California's state tree, the redwood, and a young boy's magical journey after discovering a nature guide book. When the book's text is stating information as direct and dry as "One tree can live for more than 2,000 years, which means

there are trees alive today that first sprouted during the Roman Empire" the book's illustrations show two Roman gladiators sitting next to a boy on a subway. It is almost as if author and illustrator Jason Chin created two books about redwoods instead of one. "Redwoods" is both humorous and informative.

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LibraryThing member lauraloftin

This is a great book to teach about different kinds of redwood trees. Chin writes about so many different facts about these trees such as how big they are, how they survive during fires, and how tall they can grow. The pictures are great and it reads like a picture book, not an encyclopedia. This

would be a great informational text for the classroom.

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LibraryThing member Cra71

This book was very informative and I learned alot about Redwood trees. The illustrations go along with the text wonderful and help the reader gain a better understanding by seeing what the book is telling them. The offers definitions for vocabulary that a young reader might not be familiar with. I

would greatly encourage people to read this book.

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LibraryThing member Kathdavis54

A young boy finds an unusual book on the subway. It takes him on a journey through the history of redwood trees. The text is nonfiction and information heavy, while the pictures detail the fantastical trip the boy takes. Any student would find this book to be a delight.

LibraryThing member prkcs

LibraryThing member Michelle_Bales

A boy on a subway finds a book and is transported through its pages into a giant redwood tree forest. He travels through time and even explores the high canopy of one of these enormous trees! How old are the redwoods? How tall can they get? How do redwood trees grow? What lives in the old growth

redwood trees? Find out on the boy's journey. After reading it, the boy leaves the book where he found it. Will you be the next person to open the Redwoods book and be transported to the land of giants?

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LibraryThing member kleddy09

Age: Primary, Intermediate & Middle School
Genre: Informational
Media: Gouaches & Watercolor
Review: This book is informational because it provides accurate information about Redwood trees. It contains information and facts about these trees with illustrations that are accurate.
Use: lesson on redwood

trees, tree unit, endangered plant life project

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LibraryThing member mrcmyoung

Redwoods appreciates the wonder that nature can inspire in us, particularly these ancient, giant, trees. Gorgeous illustrations and just the right amount of informational text make this an awe-inspiring read. You'll be planning your trip to the redwood forests before you reach the last page.

LibraryThing member SJKessel

Chin, J. (2009). Redwoods. New York: Roaring Brook Press.

1596434309

Appetizer: A young boy discovers a Copy of Redwoods (complete with him on the cover) while waiting in the subway stop. As he begins to read the information the book contains about Redwood trees, during his trip, a bit of imagination

and the information within the book begins to transform the world around the boy.

Heart it!

The text itself is straightforward information about Redwood trees. While, some of the facts are interesting, they could easily be words written in a boring, big textbook or on a research notecard written by a fourth grade. No, what makes this book awesome are the illustrations. As the boy reads, the subject matter comes alive. When he learns that a tree can live over 2,000 years and some sprouted during the Roman Empire, a roman soldier and senator sit on either side of the reading boy. When the boy leaves the underground subway system he goes upstairs to discover he's in a Redwood forest. As the boy reads more facts about redwoods, he continues to explore the forest.

The text did an awesome job of sharing about redwoods and showing their role in their habitat (teachers will love to force kids to construct food webs based off of the information).

The story as a whole reminded me of the Magic School Bus series, but with more beautifully executed illustrations (and only one kid instead of a bus full).

This story show the power of a reader's imagination and also does an excellent job of showing the scope and size of a Redwood forest. I also liked that the boy featured throughout the story was of Asian descent (mmmmm, racial representation. Tastes good.).

The book also shares the fact that the redwoods are endangered in the author's note. No message left unshared!

Dinner Conversation:

"The coast redwoods are among the oldest trees in the world. Their ancestors lived about 165 million years ago, during the Jurassic period."

"They are the tallest living things on the planet. Redwoods regularly grow to be more than 200 feet tall."

"If you see a ring of redwoods in the forest, they probably sprouted from the same stump."

"It takes a long time for water to travel all the way from the roots to the top of a redwood, and the fog helps the trees by preventing them from losing moisture to evaporation."

To Go with the Meal:

The text of this story can be used to show students some of the essential information they should include when writing a science report.

In similar fashion to this book's structure, students' could bring their own research papers alive by including illustrations with their reports that not only bring alive the subject matter, but include themselves on the adventure.

This book shows literacy both as a way to learn new facts and skills, as an imaginative process, and shows information and books as things that should be shared.

Tasty Rating: !!!!

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LibraryThing member nbmars

There is much to love about this magical book, but the best part for me is the fact that it features an Asian American protagonist, without making any reference to him or his race whatsoever. He is just any kid.

The story is about a little boy riding the subway who picks up an abandoned book about

redwoods. As he reads, he is transported into a redwood forest as he and we readers learn all about these noble trees. At the end of the story, he leaves the book on a bench, and a little girl picks it up. Then she too enters the forest as she reads.

Lovely watercolors illustrate the informative text, which accomplishes a number of things: it shows children how transformative books can be; it teaches them about redwoods in interesting and awe-inspiring (but simply stated) detail; and it suggests that, if shared, books can spread joy and vicarious adventure to everyone.

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LibraryThing member Bethany1221

This book is a book about Redwoods. Jason Chin does a wonderful job describing the characteristics of the Redwood trees through the imagination of a young boy. Very informational and a great way to get students aware of how Redwood trees are in danger. Great illustrations that are colorful and

appealing to the eye.

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LibraryThing member lalfonso

A young boy finds this book on a bench while waiting for a subway. He opens the pages and gets transported through time and space to learn about redwoods. The water colored pages are beautiful. Children will enjoy the text and will especially like the little visual surprises that lay in wait for

the unsuspecting reader to notice them. The boy sitting next to a Roman soldier, dinosaurs peering over his shoulder as he reads his book are just two of the surprises that await. Some of the text might be weighty for the young reader, but the story is told in such a unique way that I feel children will be intrigued enough to finish the book. Teaching ideas include science, environmental issues, ecology, plants, rainforest unit, and endangered species. The author ends the book with a history of redwood and how they are endangered because of man.

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LibraryThing member pjw1173

A very engaging read about redwood trees. This non-fictional text is cleverly written and the illustrations tell a story of a boy finding a book that transport him to a redwood forest while the non fiction text gives great in-depth information on redwoods.

LibraryThing member Sullywriter

A glorious celebration of imagination and of the power of the book.

LibraryThing member 1derlys

A found book takes a young boy on an adventure through the giant Redwood trees. This is a great book because the boy is in the city going on a subway and his imagination takes him into the forest of the giant trees. The trees are compared to city life and how they would fit right in with their

height.

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LibraryThing member kfisher524

This is a very interesting book! It gives a lot of fun facts about redwoods. The book gives detail on the trees height, diameter, and even explain how they get water without rain! Then, at the end of the book it explains how the climate has changes since the ice age, and how it has effected the

trees tremendously.

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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian

Jason Chin's beautiful book invites the reader to step inside and learn all about redwoods, those fabulous trees that grow in Northern California. Gorgeous art and lots of cool facts, what else can I say? I hope there will be much more to come from Jason Chin.

LibraryThing member jforrest21

This book had interesting illustrations. The book was along the same lines as the The Red Book. It was a fun way of showing the information being passed along. It also gave great facts for the Redwood trees.

LibraryThing member tmaslen

A realistic story about a young boy and his adventures in the Redwoods. Includes facts about the Redwoods.

LibraryThing member RebeccaRunning

This is an excellent book on how a childs imagination can take them places. A boy is reading a story about the redwoods and is taken away his imagination and actually is in the redwoods. Great books that could lead to great discussions. Would definitely use this in my classroom.

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