Wildfire!

by Ashley Wolff (Author) Ashley Wolff (Illustrator)

Wildfire!
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

With stunning, cinematic art, this fact-based picture book takes readers into the heart of a forest fire and shows how animals survive, how heroic first responders curb the flames, and how life gradually returns to the forest.

There is a flash. Then a crack. Bluejay spreads the news: "Firefirefire in the forest!"

There's a wildfire on Spruce Mountain! High up in the Evergreen Tower, dispatcher Maria sees it, too. She calls on expert teams of pilots, smokejumpers, and firefighters to battle the blaze. Meanwhile, the animals of the forest, from bears to deer to turtles, take shelter from the smoke and flames.

Featuring detailed end matter about forest fires and firefighting techniques and tools, this timely picture book is perfect for anyone interested in firefighting and protecting our natural spaces.

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review

A handsome, well-researched tribute to forest ecology and the brave people who help protect it.

Publishers Weekly

"Buck hears the rumble. Squirrel sees the flash." A lightning strike ignites a fire on Spruce Mountain, spurring animals and people into action in this sweeping picture book by Wolff. Juxtaposing animals' experiences ("Porcupine hurries to hide") with those of human first responders ("Tired crews are falling behind"), Wolff maintains tension throughout by emphasizing verbs and sensory details via concise text, as birds call the refrain, "FireFireFire in the forest!" Richly saturated landscapes rendered in acrylic gouache evoke vintage postcards both in vivid palette and nostalgic, near-photorealistic style; response teams are of varying gender and skin color. Perhaps most clarifying in its accessible back matter, this timely, factually rooted book simultaneously focuses on one forest's ecosystem and depicts the wildfire reactions of myriad species. Back matter includes an author's note, glossary, list of firefighting tools, and sources. Ages 3-8. (Oct.)

Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Ashley Wolff
Ashley Wolff lives in Vermont and is the author and illustrator of more than sixty books for children, including the modern classic Miss Bindergarten series by Joseph Slate, and her own celebrated Only the Cat Saw; Where, Oh Where, Is Baby Bear?; Baby Bear Counts One; and Baby Bear Sees Blue. Visit her at AshleyWolff.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781534487734
Lexile Measure
620
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Beach Lane Books
Publication date
November 20, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
JUV041010 - Juvenile Fiction | Transportation | Aviation
JUV029030 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Disasters
Library of Congress categories
Picture books
Forest animals
Fire fighters
Wildfires

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