Children’s books on fire and climate
“These fires aren’t going away. We need to provide our children with not only comfort but real coping strategies. Books are an accessible, effective way to do that.”
- Dr. Carrie Lara, clinical psychologist, children’s book author, and fire survivor
For younger children (Ages 3-8):
Little Smokey (Ages 3-6)
Written and illustrated by Robert Neubecker
For a brave firefighting airplane, the sky’s the limit! This timeless story of teamwork and determination is perfect for kids who loved The Little Engine That Could and shows how even unlikely heroes can help their community in times of need.
When forest fires blaze, the airplanes at Nif-C spring into action! Some swoop low to spray water on the flames. Others drop bright red fire retardant. Little Smokey hasn’t quite figured out her job yet, but she wants to help. . . . And when a fire like no other flares up–a fire that none of the other planes can control–it’s Smokey’s turn to show what she’s made of.
Featuring useful information about wildfires and fire prevention in the back of the book, Little Smokey is a must-have for children growing up in a world where climate change makes natural disasters a common occurrence. Parents looking to teach their kids about how fires spread and what they can do about it will surely want to take flight with Little Smokey.
Hamsters Don’t Fight Fires! (Ages 4-8)
Written by Andrew Root, illustrated by Jessica Olien
Andrew Root’s debut is a sweet, funny tale for the youngest readers, who know that being little can be the biggest advantage of all. With fun-filled illustrations from Jessica Olien, author/artist of The Blobfish Book, Shark Detective!, and Adrift, Hugo proves once and for all that great things come in small packages.
For Hugo isn’t just a hamster. He’s also a great cook, a fast runner, a slow eater, and a fantastic dancer. However, what Hugo wants most of all is to be a firefighter. And even though Hugo worries that he’s too small to fight fires, he learns that just because something is difficult, it doesn’t mean he won’t try his hardest to achieve his dream.
Big Frank’s Fire Truck (Ages 4-8)
Written by Leslie McGuire, illustrated by Joe Mathieu
Big Frank tells young readers all about firefighting and the many other important jobs firefighters do: fire safety training, fire inspection, helping at accident scenes, and more. It's all in a day's—and night's—work for our firefighting friend and his crew. The detailed full-color illustrations in this paperback book will fascinate readers.
We Will Live in This Forest Again (Ages 4-7)
Written and illustrated by Gianna Marino
When a thriving forest is swallowed by wildfire the animals brace themselves, then look to new beginnings. At first, they didn’t notice the spark flying above the dry treetops. But then the smoke blew from the north, and the flames began to grow… Author/illustrator Gianna Marino uses lush watercolors to explore the bitter-sweet cycle of burning and rebirth in the forest. Readers follow a lone deer as it sees its only home scorched by flame. A Northern California resident herself, Gianna witnessed the 2017 Sonoma wildfire firsthand when it came within inches of destroying her property.
Wildfire! (Ages 3-8)
Written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff
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.
The Fire That Saved the Forest (Ages 4-8)
Written by Mike Donahue and illustrated by Diane O’Keefe
“When Bernie the bear and his other animal cohorts make a practice of extinguishing every fire that starts in the forest, they realize that the trees are choking out open meadows and not allowing berry bushes and other foods they depend on to grow. One day, an uncontrollable fire devastates the forest, and the animals mistakenly believe their world has ended. Soon, however, new growth provides them with a bounty of food, and they realize how important fire is to the health of the forest.”
Wombat Underground: A Wildfire Survival Story (Ages 4-8)
Written by Mike Donahue and illustrated by Diane O’Keefe
Inspired by viral online stories during the 2019-2020 wildfires in Australia featuring wombats 'saving' other animals taking shelter in their burrows, here is a lyrical story about strangers in need of refuge.
Up on the hill, Wallaby licks a puddle’s last drop. Skink slips into the shade. Echidna hides in grass as dry as tinder. Under the hill, Wombat carves out a cave that’s all his own. Then—KABOOM!—lightning strikes.
Written in simple and concise language perfect for a read aloud, award-winning author Sarah L. Thomson invites readers to see through the eyes of a wombat as a fire rages through Australian outback. Nearly 3 billion animals were affected by the Australian wildfires of 2019-2020, and wombats played a crucial part in allowing their homes to transform as safe havens for other animals whose homes were destroyed in the fires. Paired with stunning and richly layered art by Charles Santoso, Wombat Underground teaches us that the time of greatest danger is also the time to open our door to those in the greatest need.
Fuego, Fuegito / Fire, Little Fire (Ages 5-8)
Written by Jorge Tetl Argueta, illustrated by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara
“My name is Fire / but everyone calls me / Little Fire.” In this beautiful, poetic ode to the invigorating power of fire, award-winning children’s book author Jorge Argueta describes—in English, Spanish and Nahuat—the characteristics of fire from the perspective of one little flame.
From its birth as a spark, Little Fire flits like a firefly and plays hide and seek inside a volcano. He grows between two sticks rubbed together or on a stone that strikes another. Little Fire is red, yellow, orange and turquoise. “I look like the sun / but I am no sun. / I am Fire, Little Fire / who laughs, / who dances.” Little Fire sings, “sizzle, / hiss, / whoosh, / crackle, crackle.”
With stunningly beautiful illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara that depict the natural world, this poem about the importance of fire reflects Argueta’s indigenous roots and his appreciation for nature. Containing the English and Spanish text on each page, the entire poem appears at the end in Nahuat, the language of Argueta’s Pipil-Nahua ancestors. The sequel to Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water, this book is an excellent choice to encourage children to write their own poems about the environment.
For older children (Ages 7-12):
I Am Smoke (Ages 7-10)
Written by Henry Herz, illustrated by Mercè López
“I lack a mouth, but I can speak.... I lack hands, but I can push out unwanted guests.... I’m gentler than a feather, but I can cause harm....”
By turns playful, challenging, and devious, smoke boasts of the ways it has helped human civilization advance: coaxing seeds to sprout; driving out termites and rodents; sending signals over long distances; preserving and flavoring foods; soothing bees; mixing med- icines; aiding religious ceremonies. But smoke tells us that it can also cause harm and will never be tamed. Smoke has been borne aloft from flames, and its elements returned to earth, since before recorded time; its cycles never end.
Henry Herz’s spare, riddling narrative finds its ideal complement in Mercè López’s illustrations, which she created by holding art paper over smudgy burning candles to capture swirls of smoke. She then extended and deepened these textures with watercolors and finished in Photoshop, and the results are mesmerizing.
They Hold the Line: Wildfires, Wildlands, and the Firefighters Who Brave Them (Ages 7-10)
Written by Dan Paley and illustrated by Molly Mendoza
A tribute to the unsung heroes of firefighting that takes readers along on a high-stakes mission to battle one of the deadliest natural disasters.
A lone figure stands on a tower, watching and waiting. Lightning strikes. Tree bark sparks. A wisp of white smoke rises in the distance. It is time to act.
Frightening images of raging wildfires top the daily news. On the ground, smoke fills the air as people prepare to flee their homes ahead of encroaching flames. Who helps to get this crisis under control? And what do these heroes do? They hold the line.
They Hold the Line delivers a dramatic inside look at the work of the highly trained first responders who risk their lives to fight wildfires. From hotshot handcrews to those who support them, wildland firefighters serve as stewards of the land, managing the health of our forests and the safety of our communities.
All About Wildfires (Ages 8-10)
Written by Alessandra Potenza
Conditions on Earth are becoming more and more extreme and kids want to learn about it! Is it true that smoke from wildfires can travel thousands of miles? Yes! If a wildfire is large enough, wind can blow smoke from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States!
This new set in the ongoing A TRUE BOOK series will answer all of kids’ questions about nature’s most dangerous and destructive disasters! With an engaging layout, and spectacular photos, illustrations, diagrams and infographics, the past, present and future of extreme phenomenon happening on Earth will be explained. Readers will discover causes and consequences, as well as the cutting-edge science developed through the centuries to forecast them. First-hand accounts will bring science to life, and a special section will teach kids how to prepare for these extreme events.
Out of the Fires: A Journal of Resilience and Recovery After Disaster (Ages 8-12)
Written by Carrie Lara, PsyD and illustrated by Colleen Larmour
Let me tell you about that one day everything was there, and then there was nothing.
This inspiring journal will help victims of a natural disaster as they follow a boy who is healing after a devastating fire in his neighborhood. A journal filled with drawings, news clippings, and coping strategies, this book is chock full of information on cultivating resilience after a natural disaster. Things may never be “normal” again, but he discovers that he is resilient and strong—even when hard things happen. Includes end matter on the topic of building resilience.