WILDFIRE

Dramatic paintings of forest fires and a close look at the specialized tools used to fight them make this an engaging science and nature title. Morrison provides a clear view of how modern firefighters track and monitor forest fires with GPS, satellite transmissions and infrared scanners. He peppers the text with quotes that capture the danger of the job and demonstrate the courage and dedication required. Paintings layered on the pages show firefighters working to control blazes with chemicals, dropping water from helicopters, wielding chain saws and shovels and deliberately setting “burnout” fires to reduce the damage. He describes the mopping up, a slow dirty job, where firefighters crawl around “cold trailing” in the dirt, searching for hidden pockets of heat, and may be badly burned falling into a cauldron of smoldering underground stumps. Interviews with experts on forest management explain why modern forest fires are more severe that in the past and why conservationists are rethinking how forest fires should be fought. Another fine title packed with information and striking in its visual appeal from the author/illustrator of such titles as The Coast Mappers (2004) and The Great Unknown (2001). (bibliography, glossary) (Nonfiction. 8-12)