The ancient comfort of a campfire’s glow provides both a space for new friends and a sturdy brace against the dark.

“Aren’t we lucky / we’re not alone?”

An adult, a child, and a dog travel through the wilderness until it’s time to set up camp.

“Gather rocks / Rocks all around.
Let’s make a fire / before the sun goes down.”

After the trio gather tinder, the resulting flames seemingly produce phoenixes and foxes in their flickers. The night might be shadowy and scary, but soon food is cooking over a roaring fire. Fellow hungry travelers then join in, providing songs and company amid fireflies and roasted marshmallows. Noting in the gentle afterword that “a campfire is a living thing: Just like you,” Covell explains how to safely tend one, bank it, and put it out. In this way the book celebrates the campfire and recognizes how fire helps foster a sense of community, but Covell also acknowledges the harm fires can do if left untended.

Innovative art constructed from digitally collaged cut paper, charcoal, chalk, “all kinds of pencils, and a pinch of salt” will keep young readers enthralled, particularly if they notice the little red ant that pops up in almost every scene. The human protagonists are brown-skinned; other characters are racially diverse.

The darkness and unknown are no match for people, song, and the warmth of a good fire in this reassuring paean to community.

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