The Year of The Fire
A short chapter book that is unfortunately all too timely, The Year of the Fire by Teddy Jam and Ian Wallace is a meditation on the land, the past and the future.
When they are out collecting maple sap, a sits down with his granddaughter to tell her all about the big fire of 1919. He tells her all about the huge fire that spread from Richardson’s swamp fields and burned his brother John’s eyebrows. He takes his granddaughter through the whole story of the fire, the homes and habitats that were lost, the army that came to fight the fire, the way the fire burned underground all winter long dropping the cedars. Then how the grass came back greener than ever and how the trees began to grow again. When asked how the story ends, the grandfather has an interesting perspective.
This short, illustrated chapter book feels both old and new at the same time. It struck me as nostalgic while also addressing issues that continue to be relevant. Wildfires continue to be a huge climate problem all across North America. It is very interesting to have a perspective of the past ruminating on a big fire and the stories that come from such an event. The fire in the story happened in 1919, so readers can learn how fires were fought back before fire engines and telephones. Readers can then reflect on wildfires now and how they are fought using different technologies.
This was, surprisingly, a story about stories and the tradition of oral storytelling. I loved how, when asked about the end of the story, the grandfather talks about how soon there will be no one around that experienced the event and only the story will remain, as long as it is shared. It’s true, when we are gone only our stories remain so long as we tell them and they continue to be passed down. This story reflects the importance of oral storytelling and makes me realize even more powerfully, how stories help us remember, help us forge new paths and help us towards the future while reflecting on past events and mistakes. How our past will shape our future and how our stories are a reminder that we were here.
There is a reason Ian Wallace is dubbed one of Canada’s best-known creators. His illustrations are divine and transportative. The simple, muted colour palette is perfectly reflective of the past and invites readers into the woods to feel the intensity of the fire and the simplicity of the forest as it is now.
