Fireflies

by Julie Brinckloe

Fireflies is Julie Brinckloe's "reflects a classic theme in children's literature—the need to set something free in order to keep it." ( The Horn Book )

A young boy is proud of having caught a jar full of fireflies, which seems to him like owning a piece of moonlight, but as the light begins to dim he realizes he must set the insects free or they will die.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Summer, Realistic Fiction, Animals, Writing, Nature

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1985

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love something, set it free...

There's something magical about summer nights and fireflies, and this book will bring back memories for so many readers. In this story, a boy collects fireflies in a jar, but when he sees their lights start to dim as they grow weaker, he makes the right choice and sets them free. With fireflies becoming a topic of concern as their numbers dwindle, it's more important than ever to remind kids to be kind and responsible with these amazing little creatures.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely pictures; meaningful story.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

RAR April picture book reads...krb 3/29/19

[Megan Shoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe is a great example of a realistic fiction text. This story is about a little boy who goes out one summer night to collect fireflies. He is so excited to collect an entire jar and is disappointed later in the evening when he sees that the fireflies stop glowing. I think many kids can relate to this because many students have probably spent some time in the summer trying to catch fireflies. If they can't relate to catching fireflies specifically, they might be able to relate to trying to catch some other insect or animal.
There are many activities or skills that you could teach with this book. I personally like using it as a mentor text for personal narratives because it shows that you can write a story about a small part of your day. The book also has good examples of sensory details that we teach students to use while writing. This book could also be used to teach point of view since the boy is telling the story rather than an "all knowing narrator."
An extension activity with this book could be to have the students complete a story map and then practice retelling the story.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mentor text for introducing personal narrative

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little boy runs outdoors one summer evening to catch fireflies. When he brings them in at night, he realizes they're not glowing as brightly and lets them go free.

Watch my reel to see which firefly books we really enjoy!

Ages: 4 - 8

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.

I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy catches a jar full of fireflies and is so excited and mesmerized. However, as he watches them, he sees their lights start to dim and realizes that he has to release the bugs or they will die. I enjoyed this story for many reasons. I think it is very relatable for children in this climate who can observe fireflies firsthand. It provides a good opportunity to reflect on how our actions affect others and how sometimes what makes us happy is hurting others. It could also lead to a science discussion of what animals need to survive. I think it would be interesting and appropriate for most children.
Theme: animals
Topic: Social studies-making decisions, behavior regulation and friendships- making safe choices for ourselves and others

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this book in a library lesson year during the weeks leading up to state mandated testing as a mentor text. It is short but packed full of opportunities for students to make inferences and discuss character traits and how and the main character changes from the beginning of the book to the end. The 3 color pictures are well-drawn and engaging and while fireflies are not as prolific as when I was a child, many students have some experience with them. “Fireflies” can be used with children ages 3 and up.

[Jen Munnerlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to add to your collection- however you may have to search it out at a second-hand bookstore because it seems to be out of print. I first came across Fireflies! when I began teaching writing using the Lucy Calkin's UOS g.3-5. The story is an excellent one for teaching the basics of writing a small-moment or seed idea. When my student's and I study this mentor text as writers, we always learn things we could model in our own work.

[Balambika Hariharan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing gem of a book I discovered today... Fireflies by Julie Brinckloe

This goes straight into the must haves list. A boy who is so excited and thrilled to see the fireflies outside and rushes out with a jar in his hand to get his own jar of moonlight. Catch moonlight in a jar, he sure does.. hundreds of fireflies, all his, all glowing. But how long do they glow? The light in the jar diminishes until it’s all dark, like a moon that’s totally eclipsed. The boy has a lump in his throat when he realises the truth. He knows it, he sees it right in front of his eyes but it takes a lot for a boy of that age to acknowledge the truth and let go. But he does. He opens the jar and lets go of his moonlight and Lo!!! how they glow again, first green, then gold and finally white like the moonlight, making circles round the moon, dancing like the stars, blinking off, blinking on, dipping low and soaring high. The boy looks at them with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

I got goosebumps reading this book. Fireflies have been fascinating always, something magical. and I think this is the kind of magic that we should introduce our children to. The magic and beauty in nature’s creation. The magic switches off the moment we try to control them or capture them.

[Madyson Wynegar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Fireflies tells the story of a young boy who goes outside one night with friends and catches a jar full of fireflies. He is ecstatic about the beautiful light the fireflies put off in his room that night, but notices that their light begins to dim and die out the longer they stay in the jar. The boy ends up setting the fireflies free so that they can live.

Evaluation: This story is beautifully illustrated, allowing the essence of the fireflies to come to life for the reader. I loved that the author allowed the reader to feel the emotion that the boy felt after setting the fireflies free. It was so beautifully written and it showed the reader that sometimes the right thing to do isn’t always the easiest thing to do.

Teaching Point: This story would be good for teaching children the importance of compassion for other living things, as well as bringing up classroom debates about whether or not the boy should let the fireflies go and why. It would also be a good story to use for teaching the sequence of events (beginning, middle, and end).

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy catches a jar full of fireflies, but his delight turns to distress when he realizes they will die unless he sets them free.

As someone watching the extinction of fireflies in real time, this book was rather triggering.

Catching fireflies in jars is an American summertime trope, but it is one that should not be perpetuated or encouraged. Firefly populations are threatened and in decline, and one of the top reasons – in addition to habitat loss, light pollution, and chemicals – is collecting.

Please, dear reader, do not catch fireflies even if you intend to release them afterwards because it can cause serious, albeit unintentional, harm. Fireflies are only in their adult form for a very short time in order to reproduce, and the loss of any fireflies during this stage can negatively impact the overall firefly population and hasten their extinction.

[Jenna Paolazzi]

Summary of the book: When the light starts to dim in a young boy's collection of fireflies, what will he do?

Evaluation of the book: I didn't like this book to be honest. I found it to be really hard to relate to on a personal level, as I found it more difficult to relate to the plot. As I was reading this story, I never developed a personal connection to the story; therefore, it made it harder to be able to relate to it.

Teaching Idea: If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would use it to teach the concept of using context clues to figure out the meanings of unfamilar words. This book contains a lot of vocabulary that k-2 students may be unfamiliar with. This would be a good book for those grade levels to practice using their context clues to decode new words.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bittersweet picture book about the magic of capturing fireflies. A young boy is excited to catch the elusive blinking insects with his friends on a warm summer night. Soon he has a jar full of the glowing, pulsating bodies. Excitedly he sets it on the table by his bed. But as he watches, the light begins to dim. Eventually the insects no longer produce light. At first the boy is angry - he has caught them, they should shine for him! But he finally understands that they are not made to live in a jar; they must be free outdoors to produce the light he loves. Through his tears, but also smiling, he releases the fireflies back out his window to watch them shining again like tiny stars. A good book about gaining a better understanding of nature.

[Tatiana Ensz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading Levels
Lexile: AD550L
DRA: 18

Explanation of rating: I gave this book two stars because I found it to be boring and not very exciting. Sure, the message behind it was sweet that he wanted to set the fireflies free but it was not the most engaging book.

How we might use this in our classroom/application of six traits: The trait that stood out to me the most was the organization of the piece. Even though the content itself was boring, the story was well-organized and it was easy to comprehend. I would use this book in my classroom and ask my students to alter the ending to make this book more intriguing. I would ask them what they would add to the story to make it more enjoyable.

[Chancela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brought back memories from my childhood. Before it talked about putting holes in the jar, I had the same thought myself. The description and imagery made me feel like I was there. I remembered the distinct smell of fireflies (yuck) and how exciting it was to have a special night light of fireflies. It was a simple, descriptive book that was enjoyable. This would be good to read to any age elementary student or middle school to have the students relate to the story or as an intro to do a class science experiment with fireflies.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very touching story about a boy who one night goes out with a jar to catch fireflies in the night sky with his friends. It tells of a classic theme of letting something go in order to keep it. Very simple story, yet what really captured my attention were the colored pencil illustrations. Very well done. It just felt like the words and images matched, which I feel is very hard to do. Maybe that's the real challenge of a picture book. But both melded well here. Fireflies (1985) by Julie Brinkloe. My rating - 4/5

[Jared Pangier · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about childhood—not unlike my own—about fireflies and joy and possession, about life and understanding and freedom. Fireflies is an illustrated picture book that repaints my childhood, both reminding me of the joy and fragility of life and that my childhood could be very different from my daughters if I don’t make the time to go out and build that treehouse or catch those fireflies…only to release them once understanding comes. This connection to our world, to nature, is so important for all parts of humanity—my generation and the next.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my second graders today. They were impressed with the descriptions. They understood the emotions and could make some connection to having to let go of something you loved. It was a great mentor text for personal narratives.

I only wish that it could provide more background info about fireflies because my class has never seen fireflies (and despite traveling to over 30 countries and frequent camping growing up- neither have I).

[raccoon reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our three year old son adored this book. It's a reading rainbow book published waaaaay back when his parents were kiddos themselves ;) so it made us nostalgic for our own summers. We've been reading lots about lightning bugs. This was one of his top five books. Definitely a good bedtime book for kiddos who can tolerate longer books.

[Scot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great example of a realistic nonfiction book to read to students. Many students would be able to relate to wanting an animal they have caught in the wild and think that it is their own. Then suddenly realize they were not meant to be kept in someone's home, but rather they should be free, no matter how much we like them.

[Marissa Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book a three-star rating because although the book has a solid storyline, the illustrations are rather outdated and dark, making the story seem sad. I think this book would still be worth using however if you teach in an area where students see fireflies often.

Guided Reading: K
Lexile: 501-550

[Grace Retter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the glittering magic of this book and its storyline, but I wish the moral of the story were a little more explicitly stated. However, I suppose the implied meaning would make for a good lesson about making inferences and reading between the lines. I also worry that children would not view the ending as a happy one, even though it was meant to be powerful and uplifting.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this because who doesn't love canned fireflies? I, too, used to capture them in my hands and marvel, summers in the Midwest. But part of the book felt a bit masochistic, and I see my previous past time in a new and borderline abusive light. 3 stars because it made me feel like Sid from "Toy Story". The illustrations are a saving grace.

[Jen • The ABCs of Motherhood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one. It totally captured summers from way back when we came in when the streetlights came on. All the neighborhood friends running out to capture jars of lightning bugs - nowadays there aren't even a million lightning bugs to capture like there used to be -I love that this book captured what summers used to be like. I loved the illustrations in this one.

[Alexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the book was not dull, it was not great either. The pictures are penciled which adds depth to them. They are also executed very well. However, the story itself seemed choppy and like there could have been more. It did remind me of the times when I tried to catch my own fireflies.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought back a lot of memories because I use to catch fireflies when I would visit my grandparents in Chicago. I loved how he released them too.

DRA Levels: 4
Lexile Measures: BR-220

Presentation, Word Choice, Voice

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story that takes an adult back to their childhood as they read it to children, and causes a child to ask themselves what they would do, and what they get very excited about. The illustrations go with the story marvelously.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story with fabulous illustrations. One night a boy and his friends catch fireflies in jars, and the boy sets his jar on a table by his bed. He is happy at first, but as their light dims in the small space he has to decide what to do.

[Becky McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book to read to my group of 3rd graders. We used this book as an introduction to making inferences. My students ate it up!! From making to connections to inferring about how the main character was feeling, this book brought so much discussion!! I highly recommend it!