Description: This debut picture book takes readers inside the journey of a screech owl that fled the flames to ride along with a firefighting helicopter during the 2020 California Creek wildfire.
Brief description: Cedar Pruitt lives in owl territory just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, where she is a champion for green space. Her home is with her husband, children, and a crew of animals that cluck, sing, and hiss. It's a hoot! When not writing, she teaches people how to connect with one another across their differences. This is her first published picture book. Visit her at www.CedarPruitt.com.
Review Quotes: Pruitt's rhythmic lines narrate the unlikely but true story of an owl who escaped a California wildfire by hitching a ride in a helicopter. As "smoke bloomed, / and orange ribbons wove into...// ...owl territory," a small gray owl must leave its forest perch, remaining airborne until spying a "fellow flyer" dropping water on the blaze. When the fowl heads straight into the copter's open window, the pale-skinned pilot fears an attack, but the avian hitchhiker instead rides quietly, perched on a seat, until it's safe to return home. Skillful, onomatopoeic verse aptly summons the "beat, beat, beat" of wings, "chop, chop, chop" of helicopter blades, and "drip, drip, drop" of water. Fedele's smudgy fire and smoke-filled artwork, meanwhile, has a frenzied quality that communicates the urgency of the situation. It's a kid-friendly account that simultaneously underscores the dangers of wildfire and the capacity of nature to surprise. An author's note concludes. Ages 5-9. (Jan.)-- "Publishers Weekly"