FIRE FLIGHT: A WILDLIFE ESCAPE

CAPSTONE EDITIONS, 2024

 What an astonishing true account this is! Inspired by the actual experience of a forest-fire-fighting helicopter pilot in 2020, it feels both eerily authentic and remarkably mystical. FIRE FLIGHT: A WILDLIFE ESCAPE is written by Cedar Pruitt and illustrated by Chiara Fedde. About a month into the raging California Creek Fire, one small, desperate owl flew into the open door of a water-dropping helicopter, seeking escape from the inferno below. 

The illustrations and minimalist, lyrical text brush the edges of emotions of the startled pilot and of the owl. No dramatic assignments of panic or relief are assigned. Rather the simple tale and realistic illustrations convey the intensely dramatic scenes and relationship as they flew together for the duration of several water scoops and drops. Eventually, with no more fanfare than that of its arrival, the owl exited the chopper to make its way through what remained of its habitat.

An author note at the back anchors this breathtaking story in the dates and events of the fires, the owl-arrival-and departure, and the eventual taming of a historic and destructive forest fire. Without belaboring the point, both some brief early text and a short back-matter list reference the  related concern of climate change and drought to such sustained and damaging fires. The ideas provided are very age appropriate and encourage readers to see their everyday choices as affecting a larger environment.