Fire Flight: A Wildfire Escape

by Cedar Pruitt, Chiara Fedele (Illustrator)

Overview

Flames consume a forest, and an owl seeks refuge. Helicopter wings chop, and water drops to drench the branches below. Using spare, lyrical language, 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. Vivid imagery highlights the fear and danger of the experience—as well as an astonishing moment of connection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684468874
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	08/01/2025
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	5 - 9 Years

About the Author

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.

I was born in Milan in 1973. I live in a little village 50 km far from Milan where I live with my family and my pets.

I attended Art School in Milan and took a degree in Illustration at La Scuola del Fumetto in
Milan. I had also attended several workshops with illustrators and Publishers.
I work as freelance illustrator since 2004 for Italian and international publishers. My illustration are published in many countries around the world.
I use a combination of mixed traditional media and digital.

Awards:
Premio Cento 2008
Silver Medal by the Association of Jewish Libraries for the Sydney Taylor Award 2018
3x3 International Illustration award merit 2019
Selected by Society of Illustrator New York exhibition 2021/2023

I am currently represented by illustration Agency ASTOUND.US

Interviews

In beautiful, lyrical language, expands on a true story—pilot Dan Alpiner captured the real-life event in October 2020 in an astonishing picture;

Editorial Reviews

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