February 15, 2024
The ancient comfort of a campfire's glow provides both a space for new friends and a sturdy brace against the dark. "Aren't we lucky / we're not alone?" An adult, a child, and a dog travel through the wilderness until it's time to set up camp. "Gather rocks. // Rocks all around. / Let's make a fire / before the sun goes down." After the trio gather tinder, the resulting flames seemingly produce phoenixes and foxes in their flickers. The night might be shadowy and scary, but soon food is cooking over a roaring fire. Fellow hungry travelers then join in, providing songs and company amid fireflies and roasted marshmallows. Noting in the gentle afterword that "a campfire is a living thing: Just like you," Covell explains how to safely tend one, bank it, and put it out. In this way the book celebrates the campfire and recognizes how fire helps foster a sense of community, but Covell also acknowledges the harm fires can do if left untended. Innovative art constructed from digitally collaged cut paper, charcoal, chalk, "all kinds of pencils, and a pinch of salt" will keep young readers enthralled, particularly if they notice the little red ant that pops up in almost every scene. The human protagonists are brown-skinned; other characters are racially diverse. The darkness and unknown are no match for people, song, and the warmth of a good fire in this reassuring paean to community. (Picture book. 4-7)
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June 28, 2024
PreS-Gr 2-In Covell's follow-up to his debut, Run Wild, the narrator invites readers to "Gather rocks./ Rocks all around./ Let's make a fire/ before the sun goes down." In a spare outdoor setting a young girl and her male caregiver, both depicted with tan skin and straight black hair, gather those rocks to start a campfire. The fire soon cooks some food to share with adult/child dyads who approach: a brown-skinned woman with a single child with short curly hair, and then a darker brown-hued man with a girl of similar coloring. A celebration of the magic of campfires and outdoor adventures, sharing with strangers who become new friends, and the comfort of connection, this lovely story offers some representation and inclusion for single-caregiver families and only children in a story many will be able to see themselves in. Simple rhyming language and the glow of the bright orange campfire and bioluminescent insects will draw young readers into this rhythmic story digitally illustrated with beautiful texture that combines the effects of cut-paper collage, pencils, and charcoal in a palette of gray, brown, and purple. A short endnote addresses young readers directly to inform them that campfires are "just like you," extending the metaphor to draw out the ways humans can care for fires with SEL talking points. VERDICT Recommended for all picture book collections.-Jessica Fenster-Sparber
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