It may seem paradoxical to call a book about forest fires gentle, but that’s exactly what Fire! is. Written in simple, short, descriptive sentences, Celia Godkin’s prose sounds like poetry. Page spreads that show fire raging through a North American boreal forest assure the reader that “most of the animals escaped.” This positive approach continues through the second half of the book where, step by step, the rebirth of a forest is described.

The text is strongly supported by Godkin’s realistic and vivid full-colour illustrations. Each forest scene has a circular sidebar with labelled pictures of animals and plants that appear in the main illustration. Readers can use these sidebars to play a Where’s Waldo-type of game while increasing their knowledge of forest flora and fauna. The last two spreads of the book are devoted to a more detailed and sophisticated explanation of how fire aids in establishing new forests and how life returns after a fire.

Several questions might arise in readers’ minds as the story unfolds: Why aren’t firefighters trying to put out the fire? (It’s eventually doused by rain.) Exactly how long do the various stages of regrowth take? (The author uses abstract words like soon, after a while, and in time.) While it would certainly have interfered with the rhythm of the story, this type of information could have been included at the end of the book. Included are several addresses for websites appropriate for adults and high school teachers.