Wildfires

National Geographic Readers: Level 3

by Kathy Furgang

Learn all about wildfires—how they happen, why they're important, and when they're dangerous—in this fascinating level 3 reader. It's sure to ignite your interest, with color photographs, interesting facts, and more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature, Science

48 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2015

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a read aloud with my very reluctant and uninterested younger son. Despite his reluctance, he did have some questions which were answered in the book, so I know he had some interest hidden in him.

This is a well-written, informative kids' book about wildfires. It has lots of pictures which draw the reader in, and enough information to inform but not overwhelm developing readers. Also, there is not so much as to frighten sensitive children.

Some interesting facts we learned (or relearned, in my case):

-There are 3 types of fires: ground, surface, and crown fires. (I had thought fire was just fire. So did my son.)

-El Nino winds in Australia create hot and dry weather. (Where we live in Southern California, El Nino season means lots of wet weather, which we rarely get.)

-Some insects seek out fires instead of avoiding them (certain beetles).

-Some evergreen trees need the heat from fires to open their cones and release seeds. (We looked at it like popcorn. It made sense to my son to envision it that way. I looked at it as one tree sacrifices itself in flames to help the next generation begin.)

-The flames can reach 1472 degrees Fahrenheit. (Try measuring that in person!)

-Wildfires can cause hurricane force winds. (I knew about the winds, but didn't know they got that strong!)

-There is a very specialized group of firefighters called hot shot crews. (I thought we just had regular firefighters and wildland firefighters.)

-The center of a fire tornado can reach 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. (Little guy was fascinated by the factoids.)

A firefighter/photographer, Mark Thiessen, is featured. My son said he must have been very brave to go into fires just for pictures.

There are details about the equipment and clothing firefighters use (also fascinating to my son).

"Wildfires are an important part of nature," it read on the fourth page of writing. Finding out why kept my son going. He liked the section where it explained how wildfires benefit ecosystems. After discussing it, we came up with the analogy that wildfires were God's way of giving the forests haircuts.

We also made a connection to "The Firebird Suite" featured on Disney's Fantasia 2000, one of his favorite clips from this DVD. It shows the natural cycle of death and rebirth in such a beautiful way, and my son made an instant connection when he saw a picture of a burned tree/log surrounded by new growth, baby pine trees. Another picture later in the book shows the juxtaposition of the old and the new coexisting.

I know he wasn't completely bored or disinterested because of his occasional questions and because he could answer all the questions at the end of the book. The pictorial glossary was nice, too.

A great little reader about a serious subject. A good nonfiction book for kids who want to learn about something a bit more extreme bit at their level.

The National Geographic Kids series is one we've turned to often as a family and will return to again in the future. They are great quality children's books!

[Mary Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

National Geographic books are always so popular with my students because of the AMAZING pictures. This book was evaluated as part of NTSAs suggested books for Picture Perfect STEM (3-5) which uses trade books to teach science.

Although some Nat. Geo books are for emerging readers, this one is only for your better readers. It's a level 3 (fluent). It's a typical National Geographic book with lots of graphics and inset photos, big headlines and 'Did you know?' type of displays.

The book does a decent job of explaining why fires burn, how they start, that they are not all bad, and even how firefighters use controlled fires on purpose. But a couple of things kept me from giving it a 4 or 5:
*It's SMALL. Seems like that would make it tough to read to an entire class. This is no surprise as many of these are small, but this is "might need to put it on the overhead projector small" which makes it an odd choice for the NTSA booklist.
*The pictures are not up to usual National Geographic "WOW" status. I hate to even say that, as I'm possibly the worst photographer EVAH, but they just aren't. We've come to expect a certain level.... it's just not there.
*The tougher reading level means it's not as accessible to as many students. It's written at too high a level for many elementary students.

The less impressive photos, the difficult text and the small size mean that unfortunately, this one will be left on the shelf more than read (sad). I'll come back and add to the review after I use it to teach a few lessons, but not as impressed with this one.

[Mykenna Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. In 1988 Yellowstone Nation park burned fir nearly four months, burning almost 1 million acres. Believe it or not, wildfires are an important part of nature. The ashes add nutrients to the soil, which helps plants grow. Wildfires can also remove sick plants and insects that kills trees. A lightning strike is a common way for a wildfire to start, but they don't happen often. They can also start by campers who start a campfire and are careless. A wildfire needs 3 things in order to burn: heat, fuel, and oxygen. This is called a fire triangle. Wildfires can burn in 3 different ways: A ground fire, a surface fire, and a crown fire and all 3 types can happen at the same time. Some fires are set on purpose to help an ecosystem and fire managers and work with firefighters to protect and help forests.

[Pamela Delgado Acosta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This national geographic book for kids was very interesting that I even learned a few things about wildfires. Wildfires need three things in order to burn those things are heat, fuel, and oxygen goes by the fire triangle. A wildfire can be put out by removing any part of the triangle. I also learned that wildfires can burn three different ways ground fires, surface fires, and crown fires. Durning wildfires animals either run and hide for protection but others are looking for a new home or their next meal. Even though wildfires cause a lot of damage, they are very important for the ecosystem, this allows for new plants to grow removing all sick plants. They're more than just one type of firefighters, there is Wildland firefighter, Smoke jumpers and Hot crews all are specially trained firefighters.

[Teresa Fricke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book wildfires is learning about wildfires of course! It has a lot of great information and new vocabulary. Although it almost has too much to read to kids without them getting bored. And too much for an early reader to try to read. But once a kid hits the level of reading on their own it should be a good book with lots of pictures to look at and things to learn about! If you love learning about nature and fires, this would be a great book!

[Paige Perrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great Science book about Wildfires. National Geographic provides amazing photography and easy to understand text about how wildfires start, spread, and end. The book also focuses on how wildlife firefighters do their job, as well as an explanation on how wildfires can sometimes be good for the ecosystem.

[Whitney Inlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really interesting. I even learned a few things from it. I liked that it had negative and positive things about wildfires. The most interesting thing I found was the map on the back showing different areas of the world that have had major wildfires. I was surprised to find out that in 2003, the Russian Siberian Forest wildfire burned more than 27 million acres.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a former wildland firefighter, a friend of mine asked me to read this book to her second grade class for story hour. Upon further review, I thought this to be a fabulous and appropriate book for that grade level. It introduces key concepts like the fire triangle, tools used by firefighters and some basic ecology, and does it a fun way with great photos.

The biggest drawbacks are in its brevity, and in the text layout of some of its pages. As a former Magazine editor (my other past life), there were times when the text should have stretched across both pages when doing a double-truck, instead of a column on each page. This is a minor critique, not one that would take away from the enjoyment of this book otherwise. Recommend.

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, really interesting, plus good pictures!

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[Alessandra Argento]

In Wildfires, the reader can learn all about wildfires. It goes from telling the reader exactly what wildfires are, to how they can start, to why they are important, and to how they can be dangerous. The book contains vivid and detailed photographs to not only attract the reader's attention, but to give the reader knowledge about wildfires.
While first seeing this book, just the title and font stand out. The cover overall is very vibrant, from the bold and bright front used for the title to the dramatic fire photograph. All throughout the book, the photographs keep the readers mesmerized by the details. Furthermore, most of the pages contain little bubbles with facts and vocab. This book honestly keeps the readers intrigued all throughout, overall well done.