  | Big empty : a sagebrush survival story Author: Fagan, Kirbi | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
Introduces readers to big sagebrush, a vital plant in the American west. It feeds and shelters many animals, and after a wildfire, it grows again and thrives once more.
Reviews:
School Library Journal (+) (08/08/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 08/18/2025 "I am the one that grows where nothing else will," narrates a big sagebrush in this evocative account of making home in the "big empty"-North America’s western shrublands. Poetic lines establish the barren quality of the environment, but just as the hardy plant calls this place "home," so too does it represent a dwelling place for the many critters who rely upon the flora for shelter, nourishment, and cover. As such, the big sagebrush becomes "a thirsty mother’s only hope," and "a nursery/ under the wide Western sky." Featuring pastel, colored pencil, collage paper, and digital techniques, Fagan’s moody, dusky-hued illustrations showcase species (identified in back matter) interacting with the plant’s densely twisted limbs. Danger arrives in the form of fire, but the speaker demonstrates resilience, and closing verse offers a commanding summary: "In a land of sun and fire/ I am life." Ages 5-10. (Oct.) - Copyright 2025
School Library Journal - 08/08/2025 K-Gr 3—Many books focus on the greener spaces, or perhaps watery biomes. Once in a while, there are books written of less picturesque, overlooked spaces, such as the sagebrush biome, one of the largest in the continental United States, located in the intermountain areas. Readers will be introduced to the beauty of the resilient sagebrush, living in relationship with the dramatic weather patterns and supporting hawks, snakes, rabbits and more. Vacillating between the dry weather, fire and the little rain or snow, sagebrush is dramatically shown living in arid land with cracks in the soil, with limited greenery and the animals that live among it, in barren sparseness after wildfire season and in full bloom when water is available. Humans are not actively seen as a part of this habitat, other than as a camping trailer that drives through "the big empty." Placed within the artwork are sparse poetic lines, describing the relationship between the animals and sagebrush and with connections to the ecology of the area. The book includes an appendix with information about sagebrush and a few of the native animals of the area and touches on the complications of invasive grasses. VERDICT With its lilting text and gorgeous artwork, this is the rare book that amplifies the ferocity and the necessity of fire in nature, employing the ecology of the sagebrush.—Vi Ha - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
