The Fox and the Forest Fire
by Danny Popovici
Chronicle Books, 2021. 40 pages.
Review written October 2, 2021, from a book sent to me by the publisher
Starred Review
This is a quiet book about a kid who moves to a house deep in the forest with his mother. He’s not happy about it at first, but he learns to love the forest.
Then a fire comes through, and they have to evacuate. When they come back:
Our house is gone,
but we are safe.While things don’t look like they did before,
the forest knows what to do after a fire.
Most of this story is told in the detailed and beautiful illustrations. First, we see the boy learning to enjoy the forest and feeling at home there. Then the people and animals fleeing the fire, first spotted off in the distance. And finally, the forest coming back to life after the fire.
And how does the fox come into it? On almost every spread set in the forest, you’ll find a bright fox. Usually the fox watches the boy and even enjoys the same pool of water with the boy. After the fire, we know the forest is going to be all right when we see the fox.
A note at the back explains how forests are often strengthened by fire, but how we need to protect them from human-set fires and climate change.
This is a lovely and quiet story about the joy and wonder of a forest.
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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