Wildfire!

“Buck hears the rumble. Squirrel sees the flash.” A lightning strike ignites a fire on Spruce Mountain, spurring animals and people into action in this sweeping picture book by Wolff. Juxtaposing animals’ experiences (“Porcupine hurries to hide”) with those of human first responders (“Tired crews are falling behind”), Wolff maintains tension throughout by emphasizing verbs and sensory details via concise text, as birds call the refrain, “FireFireFire in the forest!” Richly saturated landscapes rendered in acrylic gouache evoke vintage postcards both in vivid palette and nostalgic, near-photorealistic style; response teams are of varying gender and skin color. Perhaps most clarifying in its accessible back matter, this timely, factually rooted book simultaneously focuses on one forest’s ecosystem and depicts the wildfire reactions of myriad species. Back matter includes an author’s note, glossary, list of firefighting tools, and sources. Ages 3–8. (Oct.)