As friends and family write and call about the extreme fire weather near their homes, ways they are trying to prepare, cancelling summer vacations so they can keep watch, we prepared this list of books about wildfires and forests in the aftermath in response to a summer school teacher who asked for a list because her “students have been consumed by worries about wildfires.”
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The Burning Season
written by Caroline Starr Rose
Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025
Twelve-year-old Opal has a secret: she’s deathly afraid of fire. Still Opal is preparing to become a fourth-generation lookout on Wolf Mountain, deep in the New Mexico wilderness. She, Mom, and Gran live at ten thousand feet in a single room at the top of a fire tower. They are responsible for spotting any hint of smoke before it becomes an uncontrollable blaze. When circumstances leave Opal alone in the fire tower, she spots smoke. Can she be brave enough when it really counts?
Dear Wild Child:
You Carry Your Home Inside You
written by Wallace J. Nichols
and Wallace Grayce Nichols
illustrated by Drew Beckmeyer
Abrams, 2022
In the shade of ancient redwood trees by a creek not far from the ocean, a father builds a house for his newborn daughter, where she grows up wild and strong in their coastal canyon home. When a wildfire takes back their beloved house, he writes his now-grown daughter a letter telling her it’s gone. Inspired by the real letter the author wrote his daughter, this poignant story — written together by father and daughter — is a resilient declaration that a home is more than just wood and stone; it is made of love and can never be taken away.
Fire Birds:
Valuing Natural Wildfires
and Burned Forests
written by Sneed B. Collard III
Bucking Horse Books, 2015
nonfiction, photographs
The author challenges society’s negative views toward natural forest fires. By focusing on the research of biologist Richard Hutto, Collard reveals the complex relationships between fire and thriving plant and animal communities. The book especially focuses on the heavy use of burned forests by dozens of bird species and debunks the idea that burned forests are worthless wastelands.
Fire Escape:
How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires
written by Jessica Stremer
illustrated by Michael Garland
Holiday House, 2024
Goats and beavers. Drones and parachutes. Pinecones and beetles. What do they have in common? Believe it or not, they are all crucial tools in fighting, preventing, and adapting to wildfires! These vicious fires are spreading faster and burning hotter than at any other time in history. Ongoing droughts, warming weather, and a history of poor forest management have extended the traditional wildfire season beyond the summer months. It is a matter of life and death for wildlife worldwide. The focus here is on injury rehabilitation efforts, species that use wildfires to their advantage, how to help area repopulation, and the animals that help to prevent/fight wildfires.
Fire Shapes the World
written by Joanna Coke
illustrated by Cornelia Li and Diana Renzina
Yosemite Conservancy, 2023
Life as we know it evolved with fire; there is no us without it. Through lyrical text grounded in the latest research, children will come to understand that everything they know in the world has evolved with fire. There is comfort in understanding the natural processes taking place all around. By learning the story of fire and how it has changed this planet, this book also addresses the question: Can we adapt to an increasingly fire-prone environment? This answer is: Yes. Because we always have.
A Forest Begins Anew
written by Louise Aamodt
illustrated by Elly MacKay
Astra Young Readers, 2026
Set against the backdrop of a devastating forest fire, A Forest Begins Anew unfolds the life cycle of a particularly resilient ecosystem. As smoke jumpers leap from planes and pinecones eventually unseal from the heat of the fire, the story poetically weaves the effects of a forest fire into a vibrant tapestry that reveals a delicate balance between destruction and renewal.
Fox and the Forest Fire
written and illustrated by Danny Popovici
Chronicle Books, 2021
After moving from the city, one boy discovers his new home in the woods isn’t so bad — there is friendship in the midst of the forest. But when he spots a fire on the horizon that soon engulfs everything he’s come to know — the bugs, the plants, the fox who keeps him company — he is forced to flee. When his newfound comfort goes up in smoke, how can he ever feel at home again?
Headstrong Hallie:
The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett
the First Female “Fire Guard”
written by Aimée Bissonette
illustrated by David Hohn
Sleeping Bear Press, 2021
Hallie loved spending time outdoors, hiking among the tall trees of the forests in California’s Siskiyou Mountains. She wasn’t afraid of the bears, coyotes, and wildcats. But Hallie was afraid of fire and understood the threat it posed to the forests, wildlife, and people. And more than anything, she wanted to devote her life to protecting her beloved outdoors; she decided she would work for the US Forest Service. What kind of a girl dreams a dream like that? A headstrong one, for sure. But in the 1880s the Forest Service didn’t hire women, thinking they couldn’t handle the physical challenges of the work or the isolation. But the Forest Service didn’t know Hallie or how determined she could be.
I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018
written by Lauren Tarshis
illustrated by Cassie Anderson
Scholastic, 2026
Still reeling from the life-changing challenges that propelled him and his mother across the country, Josh finds solace in the California wilderness and in the newfound friendship with his cousin Holly. But on a trip into the nearby forest, Josh and Holly suddenly find themselves in the middle of a frighteningly powerful firestorm, one which threatens to burn down everything in its path. Josh needs to confront the family issues burning him up inside, but first he’ll have to survive the flames roaring all around him.
Jumper
Melanie Crowder
Viking, 2022
young adult
Nineteen-year-old Blair’s passion for fighting fires lands her a spot with the Forest Service and sets her on a wilderness adventure that quickly turns catastrophic. She is in her second season as a wildland firefighter when the Forest Service puts out a call for an additional class of smokejumpers. She and her best friend Jason both apply, though neither expects to get in since they’re only nineteen. But it’s been a devastating fire season, and they are both accepted. Blair has always been touchy about people telling her she isn’t good enough, so she begins taking unnecessary risks to prove herself. It doesn’t take long before everything spins out of control, leaving Blair struggling to cope.
Paradise on Fire
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Little, Brown, 2021
Addy is haunted by the tragic fire that killed her parents, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother. Years later, Addy’s grandmother has enrolled her in a summer wilderness program. There, Addy joins five other Black city kids — each with their own troubles — to spend a summer out west. Deep in the forest the kids learn new (and to them) strange skills: camping, hiking, rock climbing, and how to start and safely put out campfires. Most important, they learn to depend upon each other for companionship and survival. But then comes a devastating forest fire …
The Second Life of Trees
written by Aimée Bissonette,
illustrated by Nic Jones
Albert Whitman, 2021
Trees can live a very long time, but what happens when they die? This unusual book describes, in lyrical prose accompanied by colorful and graphic illustrations, that trees have a whole long second life, continuing to contribute to their habitat, the environment, and the cycle of life.
Simone
written by Viet Thanh Nguyen
illustrated by Minnie Phan
Astra Young Readers, 2024
When Simone is awakened by her mom as a wildfire threatens their home, it is the beginning of a life-changing journey. On their way to take shelter in a high school gym, the family passes firefighters from a prison unit battling the fire. Simone’s mom tells her that when she was a girl in Viet Nam, she was forced to evacuate her home after a flood. Joined by other children sheltering in the gym, Simone, a budding artist, encourages everyone to draw as a way to process their situation. After a few days, Simone and her mom are able to return to their home, which is fortunately still standing, and her outlook has changed. As Simone begins creating a piece of art with one of her new friends, she realizes that even though they are young, they can dream and work together for a more sustainable future.
Sunshine
Marion Dane Bauer
Candlewick Press, 2021
It’s the “summer that changed everything” in the life of a boy growing up without a mother. Since as far back as Ben can remember, it’s been him, his devoted dad, and Sunshine — Ben’s little dog, who rarely leaves Ben’s side. It was Mom who did the leaving, and Ben’s about to spend a whole week with his suddenly present mother in the wilds of northern Minnesota. On the remote island she calls home, Ben will learn to canoe, weather the elements, and weigh a burning question: when will she come back to where she belongs?
They Hold the Line:
Wildfires, Wildlands, and
the Firefighters Who Brave Them
written by Dan Paley
illustrated by Molly Mendoza
Chronicle Books, 2023
A lone figure stands on a tower, watching and waiting. Lightning strikes. Tree bark sparks. A wisp of white smoke rises in the distance. It is time to act. Frightening images of raging wildfires top the daily news. On the ground, smoke fills the air as people prepare to flee their homes ahead of encroaching flames. Who helps to get this crisis under control? And what do these heroes do? They hold the line.
Wildfire
Breena Bard
Little, Brown, 2023
graphic novel
Julianna loved her life in rural Oregon. She loved taking care of her farm animals and being part of her local 4H club. But then the unthinkable happened … a wildfire destroyed her family’s home. In the aftermath, her family relocated to Portland, Oregon, where Julianna hopes to put everything behind her. All she wants to do is move on, but that becomes near impossible when Carson, an old friend from her hometown who may have had a hand in starting the wildfire, is suddenly back in her life. Julianna can’t seem to catch a break, but when two new friends invite her to join their school’s conservation club, she learns that maybe she can turn her anger into something powerful.
Wildfire!
Rodman Philbrick
The Blue Sky Press, 2019
Flames race toward Sam Castine’s summer camp as evacuation buses are loading, but Sam runs back to get his phone. Suddenly, a flash of heat blasts him as pine trees explode. Now a wall of fire separates Sam from his bus, and there’s only one thing to do: Run for his life. Run or die.Lungs burning, Sam’s only goal is to keep moving. Drought has made the forest a tinderbox, and Sam struggles to remember survival tricks he learned from his late father. Then, when he least expects it, he encounters Delphy, an older girl who is also lost. Their unlikely friendship grows as they join forces to find civilization.
Wildfire!
written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff
Beach Lane Books, 2021
There is a flash. Then a crack. Bluejay spreads the news: “Firefirefire in the forest!” There’s a wildfire on Spruce Mountain! High up in the Evergreen Tower, dispatcher Maria sees it, too. She calls on expert teams of pilots, smokejumpers, and firefighters to battle the blaze. Meanwhile, the animals of the forest, from bears to deer to turtles, take shelter from the smoke and flames.
Wildfires
written and illustrated by Seymour Simon
HarperCollins, 2016
nonfiction picture book
A raging wildfire can be a major disaster, costing lives and destroying homes. But fires in nature can help as well as harm, clearing forests of dead trees and allowing young plants to grow. Breathtaking photos in this fascinating nature book for kids highlight this surprising look at fire’s part in maintaining the balance of nature.