The Big Empty
A Sagebrush Survival Story
Published on 7. October 2025
Book
Hardback
32 pages
979-8-7656-2724-2 (ISBN)
Description
People passing by call this land the big empty. / But I call it home.
In spare, poetic text written from the point of view of big sagebrush, readers are transported to the vast landscape of western North America. This incredibly resilient plant, which can live as long as one hundred years, provides food and shelter as well as shadows to conceal both predators and prey. After a wildfire passes through, it grows again and will thrive once more. Author and illustrator Kirbi Fagan captures the beauty of this essential plant in her lyrical words and richly detailed illustrations.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Minneapolis
United States
Target group
Children/juvenile
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
US School Grade: From Kindergarten to Fourth Grade, Reading Age: From 7 to 8 years, Interest Age: From 5 to 10 years
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Picture book
Reinforced binding
Illustrations
Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 279 mm
Width: 239 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-7656-2724-2 (9798765627242)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Kirbi Fagan is a Michigan New York Best Selling illustrator. Her work includes the picture book The Summer of the Tree Army by Gloria Whelan (2021), We Are the Scrappy Ones (2025), as well as cover art in adult, YA, middle-grade, and comic books. Kirbi is driven to create books for readers like her. When she was growing up, arts and crafts were her lifeline as a way to cope with ongoing illness. Kirbi is traditionally trained as an oil painter, earning her bachelor's degree in Illustration from Kendall College of Art and Design.