“My name is Fire / but everyone calls me / Little Fire.” In this beautiful, poetic ode to the invigorating power of fire, award-winning children’s book author Jorge Argueta describes—in English, Spanish and Nahuat—the characteristics of fire from the perspective of one little flame. From its birth as a spark, Little Fire flits like a firefly and plays hide and seek inside a volcano. He grows between two sticks rubbed together or on a stone that strikes another. Little Fire is red, yellow, orange and turquoise. “I look like the sun / but I am no sun. / I am Fire, Little Fire / who laughs, / who dances.” Little Fire sings, “sizzle, / hiss, / whoosh, / crackle, crackle.” With stunningly beautiful illustrations by Felipe Ugalde Alcántara that depict the natural world, this poem about the importance of fire reflects Argueta’s indigenous roots and his appreciation for nature. Containing the English and Spanish text on each page, the entire poem appears at the end in Nahuat, the language of Argueta’s Pipil-Nahua ancestors. The sequel to Agua, Agüita / Water, Little Water, this book is an excellent choice to encourage children to write their own poems about the environment. Click here to watch Jorge Argueta in the APP Authors Speak series talking about his creative process.
