We Are Branches [Hardcover]

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 acclaimedSwirl 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?

★“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.

The creators ofSwirl 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

Praise forSwirl by Swirl: