"Fires bring change, diversity and new life," Laurence Pringle tells us in his opening paragraphs. Using the Yellowstone fires of 1988 as an example, the author writes about how forest fires fit into the natural cycle of forest ecology. His compelling text alternates with wordless double-page illustrations that show the same expanse of forest before, during and after a fire. (Ages 7-11)

Revealing the role of fire in the growth and maintenance of a forest, an introduction to this type of organic recycling explains how fire provides new food sources for wildlife while clearing the way for new generations of trees.