Can a young boy find fire for his family—and bring it safely home? An exciting, nearly wordless picture book adventure as visually compelling as a Pixar short.

After a hard rain douses the family fire, a brave young boy sets out to search for more fire to bring home before the cold season sets in. Along the way, he’ll face many challenges, from perilous mountains to fearsome predators to raging rivers, and find something wholly unexpected: a friend. In his picture book debut, artist Logan S. Kline crafts a dramatic tale inspired by prehistoric times and told almost entirely through stunningly detailed illustrations. “Finding Fire started with the sketch of a small boy holding a torch and grew from there,” he says. “A lot of research went into creating the art for this book, yet the look of the boy changed very little over time as he was inspired by my children, from my younger son's wiry frame to my elder son's wild hair that goes in a million different directions.” This gorgeous adventure story just begs to be visited again and again, with each perusal promising new discoveries.

Logan S. Kline is an artist whose work has appeared in several magazines, including Highlights, Ladybug, and Cricket. He is also a high school art teacher. Logan S. Kline lives in upstate New York with his family.

Categories

• Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / Survival Stories
• Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures
• Juvenile Fiction / Historical / Prehistory

Product Details

ISBN: 9781536213027
ISBN-10: 1536213020
Publisher: Candlewick
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Pages: 40
Language: English

Recommended Reading Level

Minimum Age: 4
Maximum Age: 8
Minimum Grade Level: P
Maximum Grade Level: 3

Comics-style panels pull the reader into close connection with the determined protagonist, while bravura cinematic spreads celebrate ingenuity, kindness, and bravery against the elements and great odds. Readers will pore over these vividly imagined pages en route to its cozy, brightly lit end.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Each illustration serves to carry the story forward, from sweeping panoramic two-page spreads to multi-panel compositions showing close ups of the boy’s expressions as he deals with the various setbacks. This is an engaging tale of perseverance, friendship, and family that will appeal to both emergent readers and middle grade students.
—School Library Connection (starred review)

Simple but heartwarming. . .. A prehistoric premise best enjoyed cozied up next to a warm, safe fireplace.
—Kirkus Reviews

This tiny but valiant adventure is visually precise enough for lap-sitters and artistically sophisticated enough for primary grade prehistory fans. . . . This will make a good wind-down choice at bedtime or perhaps a candlelit saga to while away a power outage.
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Logan S. Kline imagines Neolithic life as precarious yet affable in ‘Finding Fire,’ a mostly wordless picture book for children ages 3-7. In this charmer, the shaggy members of a cave-clan are nonplussed when rain puts out their fire. As the adults engage in a round of recriminations, a scrawny red-headed boy raises his hand. Fine, we imagine him saying, I’ll go find some fire.
—The Wall Street Journal

In Logan S. Kline’s affectionate, dreamlike illustrations we see the boy traversing rivers and misty highlands, using his wits to keep predators away, and saving a baby mastodon trapped in mud.
—The Wall Street Journal

So few words, yet such powerful storytelling. Logan S. Kline’s brilliant debut is a thought-provoking film-on-paper that takes us back to the age before technology and convenience. You will get lost in every page, and after you complete the journey with boy and beast, you’ll sit speechless before starting over again. If you shy away from wordless picture books, now is the time to make an exception.
—The Barnes and Noble Blog

Here, gorgeous, lovingly detailed and naturalistic cartoon drawings wordlessly convey an epic of young heroism.
—The Arkansas Democrat Gazette