Forest Fires

Children's Literature

Information about "Natural Disasters" will attract young and reluctant readers to this series. In this title, the introduction recaps the terrible fires in Florida during 1998. Subsequent chapters, all liberally illustrated with full color photographs, discuss how fires get started. In most cases (80 %), it is human who cause the great damage through discarded cigarettes or through the slash and burn farming technique. The latter destroyed a significant portion of Kutani National Park in Indonesia. Other chapters explain the different types of fires and how fires are fought. Readers will also learn that forest fires are a necessary component of a balanced ecosystem because they add nutrients to the soil, control weeds and even help some trees reproduce. A two-page, full-color world map shows the location and dates of major forest fires. There is a glossary and short reading list, pointers to web sites and an index. 2000, Children's Press, $19.00. Ages 8 up. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot