Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. As in Coast Mappers (2004), Morrison combines original art, history, and science in a compelling look at how humans attempt to tame and navigate the natural world. In each full-color spread, he combines multiple hand-painted images with smoothly flowing text that explains how forest fires begin, why they are a natural part of forest health, and how plants and animals naturally protect themselves from the blazes. Later sections clearly outline the intricate network of scientists and other workers who predict, spot, and control fires, and Morrison includes portraits of pioneering foresters who advanced firefighting techniques. The thickly brushed paintings don't offer the precise views that photographs, such as those in Elaine Landau's Smokejumpers (2005), do. Still, Morrison's paintings evoke the intensity of the heat and smoke and the forest's web of life, while the close-ups of the equipment used to fight fires, along with detailed text accounts, will tantalize machine-minded kids. An excellent choice for classroom support, this will also make a good choice for sharing with young adrenaline addicts and tree huggers alike. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-8-A fascinating overview of the people involved in fighting wildfires and the techniques and equipment they use. Detailed paintings aid in explaining how firefighters work and in describing the natural conditions that lead to initial fires and more dangerous developments such as blowups. Morrison introduces readers to fire lookouts and the tools they use to spot and chart the location of smoke in distant forests. He discusses the specialized tasks assigned to crews on the ground and in the air as they work to contain the flames. The importance of prescribed burns is emphasized as are the dangerous conditions that develop in forests of ponderosa pines when fires are not allowed to remove dead growth as part of a natural cycle. The pages are packed with visual and textual information, but readers who don't want to learn details about topics such as the operation of a sling psychrometer can concentrate on more general aspects. A thorough glossary is appended. Related books include Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's Fire: Friend or Foe (Clarion, 1998) and Karen Magnuson Beil's Fire in Their Eyes (Harcourt, 1999). Those titles use photographs to provide a different kind of immediacy. Patent offers a broad perspective on the entire subject of wildfires while Beil concentrates on personal narratives. However, both titles complement Morrison's detailed paintings.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) The ponderosa pine forests of the American West are in trouble, as human interests and economic concerns have prevented the forests' natural cycle of fire and regrowth. As a result, dangerous fires, which rage across the western U.S. each summer, have increased in number and intensity in recent years. In a clear and accessible voice, Morrison introduces readers to the forests and to cutting-edge firefighting technologies used to try to control their devastation and protect their health. Morrison's painterly but informative illustrations include pictures of the Western landscape in quiet times and on fire, as well as small panels and diagrams structured to help readers understand the information presented in the text. Those interested in the more technical aspects of firefighting will enjoy scrutinizing the numbered panels and captions that lead readers through such complex concepts as a fire regime and the meteorological roots of a ""blowup"" fire. Morrison presents a convincing argument for the importance of prescribed fires to restore and preserve the ponderosa pine forests. A bibliography and glossary are appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Dramatic paintings of forest fires and a close look at the specialized tools used to fight them make this an engaging science and nature title. Morrison provides a clear view of how modern firefighters track and monitor forest fires with GPS, satellite transmissions and infrared scanners. He peppers the text with quotes that capture the danger of the job and demonstrate the courage and dedication required. Paintings layered on the pages show firefighters working to control blazes with chemicals, dropping water from helicopters, wielding chain saws and shovels and deliberately setting "burnout" fires to reduce the damage. He describes the mopping up, a slow dirty job, where firefighters crawl around "cold trailing" in the dirt, searching for hidden pockets of heat, and may be badly burned falling into a cauldron of smoldering underground stumps. Interviews with experts on forest management explain why modern forest fires are more severe that in the past and why conservationists are rethinking how forest fires should be fought. Another fine title packed with information and striking in its visual appeal from the author/illustrator of such titles as The Coast Mappers (2004) and The Great Unknown (2001). (bibliography, glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
