I woke to a cooler day today, after weeks of sweltering heat, but as two water-bombing helicopters flew over my house I was reminded that bushfires are still burning and many Australians have once again lost their homes to this ferocious beast.
With fires being synonymous with summer in Australia, this new book by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley is a must-read for all Aussie kids.
‘Hills bleached gold, a baked blue sky.
Leaves lay limp in the air sucked dry.’
Although eerie and heartbreaking, Jackie’s text is written with such emotional poetry. She tells the life of a fire, starting with a sense of foreboding on the horizon and ending the story with hope and new life.
‘King fire has a short harsh reign.
Good things will grow again.’
Bruce Whately talks at the back of the book about the challenges of illustrating fire. But, he certainly conquered the challenge, filling each page with such intensity that you feel you are amongst the fires yourself as a reader.
‘Leaves like paper, burning, bleeding.
Trees turned torches, flaming, feeding.
Fire, the beast that ate it all.’
Book Details:
Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Bruce Whatley
ISBN: 978-1742838175
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, February 2014
Suitable for ages 5+
