Meet NY Times Bestseller Brian Selznick at Chicago Children's Theatre This Month

Chicago Children's Theatre invites Chicago families to meet #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator Brian Selznick on the Chicago stop of his current national tour celebrating the release of his newest critically acclaimed book, "Big Tree."

Selznick is the writer and illustrator of "The Houdini Box," the Caldecott-winning "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," and illustrator of the 20th anniversary editions of the "Harry Potter" box set.

His newest New York Times bestselling novel, "Big Tree," is a trailblazing adventure, featuring nearly 300 pages of illustrations, in which the fate of all life on Earth may depend on two little sibling seeds, Louise and Merwin.

On Saturday, April 29 at 3 p.m., Selznick will give a presentation and a talk-back with Chicago Children's Theatre Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell, to be followed by a book signing presented with Scholastic and The Book Stall of Winnetka in CCT's lobby.

Chicago Children's Theatre is located at 100 S. Racine Ave. in the West Loop. This event is free, but space is limited. RSVP at chicagochildrenstheatre.org, where fans can also pre-purchase the book for pick-up at the event. Once capacity has been reached, CCT will keep a waiting list.

Released worldwide on April 4, 2023, "Big Tree" began as an original idea from film legend Steven Spielberg, who said, "the tale of the natural world is the greatest story we have to tell, and Brian delivers a brilliant chapter of that tale through the pages of 'Big Tree.'" In addition to the book, Meryl Streep narrates the newly released audio book. For more information, visit scholastic.com/bigtree.

"'Big Tree' is about a kind of hope that can be found in nature," says Selznick. "It's about surviving by working together to create a community. It's about moving forward, planning for the future, and growing-even in the face of destruction. The natural world also offers so many beautiful metaphors to help us live."

Selznick, a longtime friend of Chicago Children's Theatre, has collaborated with the company twice before. In June 2020, Selznick and Russell co-produced Doll Face Has a Party!, a virtual puppet play based on the 1994 children's book written by Pam Conrad and illustrated by Selznick. Released three months after the onset of the pandemic, while we were all sheltering in place, children keyed right into the story of a doll who never left her home, threw a party because she was bored, and made friends with the items around her house. In 2012, Chicago Children's Theatre also presented a critically acclaimed, world premiere stage version of Selznick's book "The Houdini Box," directed, set designed and featuring puppets by Blair Thomas.

To post a comment, you must register and login.