We Are Branches

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

Caldecott Medal 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, in 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?

About the Author

Joyce Sidman is today’s foremost nature poet writing for children. Her books have won a Newbery Honor, a Sibert Medal, two Caldecott Honors, and Bank Street’s Claudia Lewis Award. For her body of work, she won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. She lives in Wayzata, MN, where she loves to look for branching shapes in oak trees and rhubarb leaves. Visit her at joycesidman.comBeth Krommes won the Caldecott Medal for The House in the Night for her distinctive scratchboard illustrations, hailed by critics as “spectacular,” “astonishing,” and “mesmerizing.” The award-winning illustrator of many picture books, she recently graduated with a degree in textile design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, which has furthered her fascination with patterns. She lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where she loves to spot the branching shape of the veins on dragonfly wings. Visit her at bethkrommes.com.