Elinor Wonders Why, Forest Giants

Three friends, Elinor, Olive, and Ari, are going on a field trip with their class to see the giant Sequoia trees. After a long bus ride, they get out on the edge of a forest and see some very tall trees. They are surprised to learn that these are just baby sequoias. They continue into the forest, encountering larger and larger trees until they find trees so tall that they can’t see their tops. The trees are so tall, Ari, a bat, must fly through clouds to get to the tops. Their teacher is a good field guide and answers many questions from the children along the way.

The text includes information boxes with a magnifying glass icon that gives detailed information about sequoias. This information includes: the pronunciation and definition of the word sequoia;
how tall the sequoias grow; the size of sequoia seeds and how long sequoias grow; what sequoias need in order to grow; how wide the sequoias grow; and the shape of the sequoias

The back of the book includes some activities related to the information about the sequoias. One activity is an experiment to determine the height of a tree in the neighbourhood. It is written in a scientific manner with specific details about measuring tools and an assistant (a grownup). Another activity focuses on scientific observations with specific questions to be answered.

The graphic novel format of Elinor Wonders Why, Forest Giants includes full colour illustrations with cartoon characters that support the text which consists of dialogue among the three friends and their teacher. Through the question and answer format of the dialogue, young children can learn many facts about sequoias. The activities in the book make the information relatable to other trees as well.

Young children will enjoy having Elinor Wonders Why, Forest Giants read to them, and teachers and caregivers will appreciate the useful information provided. This book could be used in a unit learning about the scientific method and also about the biodiversity of forests.