Absolutely breathtaking landscapes adorned with varying style texts. The Big Empty will serve as a cozy and curiosity piquing read aloud. This story can sour further conversation and research, while doubling as a relaxing and joyful storytime. Children will root for rebirth and growth of big sagebrush. They will leave with a new appreciation for something that they probably hadn’t heard of before. The back contains further information on the topic to explore with little ones. This is a truly special title that manages to capture some of the magic of nature within it’s limited pages, with such a small amount of words.

This book is overall done really well! However, I am unsure about how popular it would be among the intended younger audience. I think the two main reasons for that are 1) the topic is very specific and narrow, and 2) the writing is just too serious and, frankly, dull. In short, I think that little kids will be easily bored when reading this book, which is not a great thing. Don't get me wrong, the information in this book is likely interesting to some people out there, but they are probably not children, and I am also not a part of that "some people".
For whom it may interest, this book is organized and written nicely. Information is clear and concise, and the history of the sagebrush is told in a storytelling format. A quick critique about that: I think that the story's ending came too abruptly. There was a resolution and then the book was done. I would have liked to see a quick line (or two) to make the conclusion a bit smoother.
Lastly, the illustrations were great! There was a very clear art style, but they were still true-to-life, without being overly realistic.

A beautiful look at the South West desert, told from the point of view of a sagebrush, narrating all the many, many ways sagebrush contributes to the surprisingly thriving environment of the desert, paired with hauntingly beautiful pictures.

This was a beautiful look at the landscape of the southwest, the effect of the sagebrush and the damage of wildfires. The illustrations are lovely, and the writing is sparse, but personal. I think this would make a great read-aloud for learning about the Southwest, conservation, and habitats. I recommend this book for schools and libraries.

An interesting book that shows the strength and resilience of an important plant. The book conveys the importance of endurance as well as the impact you can have on your environment in a positive way.