FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/14/23
Cedar Pruitt, M.Ed.
https://www.CedarPruitt.com
LOCAL AUTHOR DEBUTS NEW CHILDREN’S BOOK FEATURING REAL-LIFE ENCOUNTER OF AN OWL AND PILOT DURING A WILDFIRE
Newton, MA. Cedar Pruitt today announced the upcoming release, on 1/1/24 from leading educational publisher Capstone Publishing, of FIRE FLIGHT: A WILDFIRE ESCAPE, her debut nonfiction picture book for children ages 5-9. It tells a true story ripped from the headlines: an owl that flew out of a wildfire and into the co-pilot seat of a firefighting helicopter, where it stayed for several water drops. The pilot snapped an incredible photo, which is included in the book.
With teachers, parents, librarians and children searching for simple, inviting stories that address climate change and wildfires, this book provides opportunities to build literacy, awareness, and empathy – while inviting discussion about natural habitat. Readings are scheduled to be held at local bookstores in the greater Boston area in January and February 2024. The author is available for media interviews.
“Thanks to this powerful photo, the owl’s story made headlines around the world,” said Pruitt. “I retold the story in spare, kid-friendly lyrical text to capture the suspense and danger of the moment, as well as the moment of connection between the pilot and the owl. I love the way that Chiara Fedele’s lush oil pastel illustrations bring my narrative to life. FIRE FLIGHT will hook readers who are curious about climate change, owls, wildfires, firefighting, helicopters and natural habitats.”
“There are so many headlines these days that are scary or threatening, and kids take notice,” she continued. “As a parent myself, I know the relief of finding a news story that is not only surprising and delightful, but also about connection and safety.”
As a work of artful yet easy-to-understand nonfiction, FIRE FLIGHT is aligned with the recent recommendation from The National Council of Teachers of English, which urged educators to increase the amount of nonfiction in the lives of children in grades K-12. In a 2023 position paper, the NCTE wrote, “With so much to offer young people as readers and thinkers, nonfiction should play a far more robust role in the reading and learning lives of young people in and out of school.” It continues, “For our youngest students, nonfiction provides an introduction to the idea that books can be sources of information, offering a multimodal avenue for the exploration of information presented through both words and visual images.”
A launch party, signing and reading is scheduled for Hummingbird Books in Newton, MA on Sunday, January 7 at 11:00 am.
Additional reading and book signing events for FIRE FLIGHT include:
Sunday, January 21 at 10:30am at Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, MA
Saturday, January 27 at 11:00am at The Silver Unicorn Bookstore in Acton, MA
Saturday, February 3 at 11:00am at Book Ends in Winchester, MA
Pruitt’s second picture book, WHAT MARCEL FOUND: THE INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY OF THE LASCAUX CAVE PAINTINGS, with award-winning illustrator David Litchfield, will launch in Summer 2026 from Simon & Schuster’s Beach Lane Books imprint, and tells the story of the kids who, while exploring a forest in war-torn occupied France during the fall of 1940, made the world-changing discovery of astonishing cave art made 30,000 years ago.
Features of FIRE FLIGHT include:
- Real Photo, Real-life Story, Ripped from the Headlines. Good news can be hard to find among scary headlines, but this real-life story made headlines around the world due to the incredible photo taken by the helicopter pilot – and rendered in full detail in this book.
- Timely Connection to Climate + Natural Environment. Climate change is hard to ignore, even for young readers, and this book offers a gentle way to address the topic. In an age of growing climate awareness, modern parents seek stories like this one that build meaningful and memorable connections between readers and the natural world. This book provides abundant opportunities to reflect on our collective experience as well as suggestions for kid-friendly climate action.
- Firefighting + Helicopters. For kids excited about vehicles and firefighters, this book offers nonstop action – from the chop, chop, chop of the blades to the gush of water dropping on the flames below.
- Animal Connections and Kid Appeal. Kids love stories about special connections with animals, and they may even have a story of their own – making this theme timeless. Owls may as well have their own fan club! They are the subject of fascination for many children, and facts about owls never cease to amaze people of any age. Whether at a school visit, at a wildlife demonstration, or in the wild, most kids have encountered an owl; and the star of this book, the screech owl, is common in the Americas.
- Lyrical Nonfiction. Cedar Pruitt’s spare, kid-friendly poetry tells a story that is by turns scary, heartwarming, humorous and empathetic.
- Lush Illustrations. Using colorful oil pastel, Chiara Fedele brings the reader up close to a terrible wildfire; inside a cockpit; over a heartbreakingly beautiful forest; and face to face with a nervous pilot and an unforgettable owl.
- Backmatter. Featuring an author’s note that educates readers about wildfires and climate change, as well as a view into the author’s inspiration for the story, FIRE FLIGHT offers a satisfying combination of art, story, insight, and heart.
FIRE FLIGHT: A WILDFIRE ESCAPE can be pre-ordered now wherever books are sold, in hardcover with library binding at $18.99. For more information on this book, visit https://www.CedarPruitt.com
About Cedar Pruitt: Cedar Pruitt is the author of the children’s books FIRE FLIGHT: A Wildfire Escape, about an owl’s real-life surprise ride in a firefighting helicopter, and the forthcoming WHAT MARCEL FOUND: The Incredible Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings, illustrated by David Litchfield and releasing in 2026. Cedar Pruitt holds an Ed.M. from Harvard University and works as a consultant in the culture and leadership of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts with her family.
Twitter: @CedarsStories
Instagram: @CedarPruittBooks
About the Publisher: Capstone is the nation’s leading educational publisher of K-5 digital solutions, children’s books, and literacy programs for school libraries, classrooms, and at-home reading.
Source in Text:
The National Council of Teachers of English
Position Statement on the Role of Nonfiction Literature (K–12), 2023
https://ncte.org/statement/role-of-nonfiction-literature-k-12
Cedar Pruitt 