THE FOX AND THE FOREST FIRE

A family is displaced by a forest fire.

A young child moves far from the city to a house in the woods. It takes time for the child to acclimate to such a home, and when mom leads a hiking trip, the child declares: “I don’t like this place!” A bright orange fox is seen nearby, watching everything unfold. In leisurely paced, brightly lit, earth-toned spreads, readers see the child learning to love the new home and witness the adventures that can be had in the forest. Fox and child become accustomed to each other. A forest fire changes everything: Fiery reds and darker shadows take over, and the family must pack what they can and flee. The subsequent wordless spread depicts animals fleeing as well, the fox in the lead. When the child and mother return, much later, their home is gone, and they begin to rebuild. The fox is seen in its den, snuggled in a blanket evidently salvaged from the wreckage. While there may be no mercy for the family’s home, the child narrator emphasizes that “our house is gone, but we are safe.” A closing note reveals the author was once a firefighter and explains that “naturally occurring” forest fires can benefit a forest—yet also emphasizes the danger of human-caused ones and the need to protect our environment. All characters are White with the exception of one Black firefighter, presenting as female. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sensitively told story of an all-too-common occurrence.