Vukovic, Diane. Water, Fire, Food. Scholastic/Children’s Press, 03/2023. 48pp. Nonfiction. PLB $31.00. 978-1-338-85362-9. Paper $7.99. 978-1-338-85363-6. GRADES 3–5. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Good design, photos, diagrams, and instructions make this slim volume a useful and accessible introduction to the basics of surviving in the wild. A photograph of a Black family on a hike, drinking from reusable water bottles, begins the “Water in the Wilderness” chapter, which continues with information about how to collect reasonably safe drinking water if you are stuck and have run out. The next two chapters are “Making Fire” and “Finding Food,” with a helpful side-by-side photographic comparison of wild blueberries and carrots with their poisonous lookalikes. Photographs of people in the wilderness show a range of ages, genders, and skin colors. The back matter includes a true story about lost sisters who survived forty-four hours in the woods, a quiz to “show what you know,” statistics, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.
Jennifer Vetter—Montclair Elementary School / Oakland Unified School District