Anderson, Ferin Davis. Wildfire: The Culture, Science, and Future of Fire. Addl. Creator Stephanie Sammartino McPherson. Twenty-First Century, 04/2024. 144pp. Nonfiction. PLB $38.65. 978-1-7284-2400-2. GRADES 7–12. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Catastrophic fires grab the headlines, but the villainization of fire ignores indigenous and scientific knowledge of its ecologic importance. Eight chapters of background information and current best practices help students understand how citizens and governments can address increasingly destructive wildfires. Text is broken up by photographs, maps, boldfaced headers, highlighted snippets, and full-page asides on various topics, including biographies and cultural beliefs. While many of the anecdotes feature California, there is information on other parts of the world including Australia, Africa, and South America. Climate change is a recurring theme, and in-depth coverage of historic and current Native peoples’ practice is centered. Particularly welcome is the refreshing acknowledgement of scientific disagreements. Back matter includes timeline, glossary, source notes, an extensive selected bibliography, multimedia online resources, index, and photo acknowledgement. Includes California-specific content.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired