The Bush Fire Book – Guest Review By Mr B!
I have always been a jogger. On average I reckon I have gone for a jog most weeks…….for the last 35 years……..
Now you might think that puts me into Forrest Gump territory, but then I read about this guy:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-merseyside-43517715
I am not fanatical about it. I think it helps my general health and wellbeing, so I just keep doing it.
For many of those 35 years, I have been lucky enough to run on bush tracks. Currently I live not far from the tracks leading to the Sydney end of the Great North Walk:
That is one of the great things about Sydney – the bush reaches right into the city itself. In some places, it’s almost like we are floating in a sea of green.
We know from last summer that the sea of green can become a fiery tempest. Last summer seems a life-time away now after the impact of COVID-19 in 2020. And with the prospect of a wet summer leading into 2021, how soon we forget!
Even those not living in bushfire zones were impacted last summer when the smoke from the fires impacted our big cities. So we all need to improve our bushfire knowledge and The Bushfire Book by Polly Marsden is a great opportunity for you to learn more with your kids.
Beautifully illustrated by Chris Nixon, it begins with Australia’s extreme weather and the devastation of fire. It confronts our fear of fire, but then the author says: We don’t need to be scared. We just need to be smart.
The book explains in a very simple way what it means to be bushfire smart and who the “experts” are who can help us when things get scary. There are links at the end of the book to information on bushfire plans, the Bureau of Meteorology website and WIRES. And there is a bushfire smart poster kids can hang on their wall.
I think The Bushfire Book is a great little book and a must-read for Australian families.
About The Bushfire Book
An accessible and reassuring picture book that teaches children what they need to know about bushfires so they can understand what’s happening and be smart and prepared, not scared.
Australia is a big country with all sorts of weather. And sometimes extreme weather like bushfires. Bushfires can make a real mess of things. The air fills with smoke. The skies turn red. Ash falls. Precious things burn. But we don’t need to be scared, we just need to know all about bushfires and prepare for them. This book will help you understand what causes bushfires, introduce you to all the clever people who are keeping an eye on them, and teach you how to be prepared and not scared.
The Bushfire Book is a practical and reassuring book for children to help them understand bushfires and what action they can take to feel less anxious and more prepared as Australia faces longer and more intense bushfire seasons.
Check out Mr B’s other book reviews here
