We Are Branches by Joyce Sidman

Caldecott winner Beth Krommes and Newbery Honor-winning poet Joyce Sidman team up in this singular celebration of a beautiful, fascinating shape in nature. A nonfiction picture book companion to their acclaimed Swirl by Swirl.

Branches are all around us: in butterfly wings, on gecko toes, in flowers, frost, and mud. Whether as electricity moving across the sky or rivers flowing to the sea, branches are nature's most efficient way to spread and to connect. They are even found inside our own bodies, helping us reach and grow with each breath and heartbeat.

Branches--strong, hopeful, beautiful--are the shape of life. How many can you find?

The Newbery Honor winner and Sibert Medalist Joyce Sidman is today's foremost nature poet for children. Accolades for her books include two Caldecott Honors, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, the Claudia Lewis Award, and many stars and best books lists. For her award-winning body of work, she won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, Minnesota. Visit joycesidman.com

Beth Krommes is the Caldecott Winning illustrator of The House in the Night and other beautifully illustrated, much-acclaimed picture books like Swirl by Swirl, and Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow. She lives in Peterborough, NH. Visit her online at www.bethkrommes.com.

Review Quotes:

 "Exquisitely simple and memorable." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Poetic text and luminous scratchboard illustrations with refined watercolors explain the purpose of different branches from the branches' points of view. This STEM concept book turns to STEAM through exquisite detail and design." - Booklist (starred review)

"With spare but imagistic text, Sidman highlights the interconnectedness of life, clearly conveying how branching is an essential part of nature. Krommes' defined, crisp scratchboard art is especially effective."- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The creators of Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature (2011) salute another of the world's essential and ubiquitous patterns. Explores a fundamental concept with characteristic grace and simplicity." - Kirkus Reviews

"Via instantly recognizable scratchboard spreads, Krommes draws branching life with exquisite delicacy. Further information about patterns in nature concludes this striking study of growing forms' startling similarity." - Publishers Weekly

"Elegantly constructed, and as poetry, picture book, or nonfiction, a success in every way." - Horn Book (starred review)

 "Striking . . . Will make the everyday fascinating." - ALA Booklist (starred review)

"One of those rare children's books that make you look at the physical world differently." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 "Gorgeous." - School Library Journal (starred review)