The Year of Fire

by Teddy Jam, Ian Wallace (Illustrator)

Describes the devastating impact of a long-ago forest fire on the Canadian woods and a nearby town, as well as the region's gradual recovery from the disaster.

Genres: Nature, History

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teddy Jam and Ian Wallace and have created a beautiful historical picture book. It tells of fictional fire, set somewhere in Eastern Canada, that spread around a county just after the end of the first world war. While this story is fiction, it does provide a sense of both how fires were dealt with and how devastating they could be. It takes us back to a time when putting these kinds of huge fires out was the responsibility of people in the community as there was no fire department to call. Wallace's images take us into the flame filled borders of the fire as people tried, and failed, to contain the blaze. It might have burned down the entire province if it hadn't started to rain.

[Elizabeth E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated chapter book that captures the devastating wildfires that swept through Canada in 1919. With themes of bravery and resilience, this intergenerational story paints a sensory picture of what it was like to fight and survive the fiery flames. From trees exploding and hissing in the creek to burnt eyebrows and smoldering roots under the snow, this story will start meaningful conversations about tragedies, prevention, and recovery.

Thank you to the publisher for sharing this book with us.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a grandfather telling a story to a girl who is helping make maple syrup. "You are the end of the story unless you tell it to someone else. " A book make sure stories are not lost.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good book about a grandfathers childhood and the biggest fire he had ever seen. The grand-daughter was looking through a fire feeling it burn her face and says that this is the biggest fire she has ever seen. Then she questions her grandfather and asks him is this the biggest fire you have seen? And there the story biggins.

[Kalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My dad bought this book for my sister's 5th birthday and the reason he bought it was she always asked our parents to tell her stories about a fire (I'm not sure why my five year old sister was obsessed with a fire story). This is a great fire story and the illustrations are very well done but I didn't like the writing as much.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

While out boiling tree sap to make syrup, a Canadian grandfather shares the story of a great fire that happened in October 1919 to his young granddaughter. He tells how it burned one day, and through the night, and would have burned longer, if a heavy rain storm hadn't came. He shared how the tree roots, although buried under snow that fell two weeks later, burned all winter.