Fire Race [Hardcover]

J. London (Author), S. Long (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1993

The story of how the animal people captured fire. A tribute to the Native Americans storytelling tradition. For children ages 4-8.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this gracefully narrated, arrestingly illustrated myth originating from the Karuk people of Northwest California, the animals have no fire to keep them warm. Wise old Coyote devises a plan to steal the fire that the miserly Yellow Jacket sisters guard in their mountaintop home. Using his renowned skill as trickster, Coyote manages to purloin a burning piece of oak. Though the evil sisters follow in pursuit, Coyote and the other animals execute a flawless relay, transporting the ember back to their home ground, where a willow tree swallows it. Clever Coyote once again solves the dilemma, showing how to get fire from the willow by rubbing two of its branches together. London's tale unravels seamlessly, subtly revealing the diverse personalities of the animals and the merits of working together. As in other books she has illustrated ( Ten Little Rabbits ; The Most Timid in the Land ), Long creates impressively realistic animal characters with an inventive measure of whimsy: Mountain Lion and Bear sport traditional Karuk necklaces and Coyote wears a woven cap and bearskin. This spirited Native American legend is in good hands. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

The Yellow Jackets are known to keep fire on top of their snowy mountain; boldly, Coyote offers to ``make them pretty'' if they close their eyes. With a coal, he marks them in black, then seizes a burning brand from them and dashes away. When the pursuing Yellow Jackets catch up, Coyote passes the fire to Eagle, who gives it to Mountain Lion, and so on until Frog, after hiding it in his mouth, spits it into a willow. It's not lost: Coyote shows the animals how to make fire by rubbing willow sticks together. Written with the help of Lanny Pinola, a Pomo/Miwok storyteller, London's relaxed version of this tale from northwest California has a pleasantly conversational style. Long's lively illustrations depict the animals and their habitat in intriguing detail; the text, lightly bordered with Native American motifs, is nicely integrated into the design. An attractive addition. Afterword by Julian Lang, a member of the Karuk tribe; bibliography. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition-Signed edition (March 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811802418
• ISBN-13: 978-0811802413
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,417,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan London is a poet and the author of a number of picture books including the Froggy Series. He lives with his wife and two sons in Graton, California. Frank Remkiewicz has illustrated posters, greeting cards, the Animal Crackers box and numerous books for children. He lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife and three daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really good tale --, January 9, 2002

By 

New Era Preschool (Taibei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fire Race: A Karuk Coyote Tale of How Fire Came to the People (School & Library Binding)

This is a story telling how the "animal people" long ago had no fire, and how they got it. Coyote figures prominently in the story, as the group's leader, but each animal plays a specific role. While i wouldn't recommend this story as an exemplary book, it nevertheless captivated my kindergarten ESL classes through repeated readings. Solely on the strength of the story and their interest in hearing it told, i was able to slowly glide them from a part Chinese-part English initial reading into a total English telling of the story, over a period of a couple of weeks.

We acted out the story as a class for graduation, and the kids had a happy and thrilling time putting it all together. Social cooperation and the ethics of possession are all essential to the tale, which basically consists of the Animal People stealing fire from the recalcitrantly greedy Yellow-jacket sisters. In the end, though, the Willow captures the fire and holds it fast, but thanks to Grandfather Coyote's ingenuity the animal people learn how to coax fire out from the wood.

The pictures are colorful and vibrant, and quite expressive of the story; the text is weak in some places, but never fails to convey the drive of the plot. With the proper performance, this book becomes a lively chase with a happy ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Tale, March 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Race (Hardcover)

The Fire Race is a wonderful tale. It has great illustrations and the different characters really come to life. The whole story is full of action. It's a great tale about how we got fire.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent illustrations and engaging story, December 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Race (Hardcover)

A beautifully illustrated book. The story involves lots of "wild" animals that even a little 2 year old will enjoy this tale. It is similar to the "Very Busy Spider" in its animals helping each other. All my kids love this tale from the 8 year old to the 1 1/2 year old.