Book Review Fire and Ashes

Wes Erwin is the co-author of “Fire and Ashes: A Boy and an African Proverb” with Ahmed Hassan. Their debut picture book is part of a series of children's picture books focusing on mental health and self-care by featuring the wisdom found in African proverbs. Children in war-torn nations like Somalia experience trauma in large numbers and can be overlooked as they try to make sense of their circumstances and adjust to a new home. Erwin and Hassan's second book, “Watch Where You Step and You Won’t Get Poked by a Thorn” will be available in 2023.

Meryl Treatner illustrates the books in this series. A fun fact I learned is she uses live models in the process of creating the illustrations for the story. The characters just pop from the page with their realistic portrayal. Treatner's attention to detail portraying the background settings of home and school is just perfection. Her illustrations perfectly complement the storyline keeping young readers ages 7-10 engaged as the story develops.

Warfa is a young refugee from Somalia around 7 years of age struggling to adapt to his new school in America. A class assignment to make a poster about himself causes great anxiety. He is still haunted by the memories of his previous life witnessing violence and death. Warfa's grandmother uses an African proverb One man fears fire, another man fears ashes to illustrate coping strategies for Warfa as he works through his trauma. The interaction between Warfa and his grandmother is comforting and loving. Eventually, Warfa's confidence level improves so he's able to complete the assignment.

The authors hope that readers will gain insight into what it is like to be a refugee through the storyline. A breathing exercise for coping with anxiety while learning about an African proverb are pluses that readers can apply in many different situations. The book provides educators with an opportunity through classroom discussion to develop the concept of empathy for those who perhaps have faced difficult or traumatic experiences and the wisdom of proverbs. As a former educator, I consider this book to be a valuable resource for the classroom as well as for home use.

Photo by Dan Root
ALL ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wes Erwin is also the author of “Boundary Waters ABC”

and awaiting publication for “Turtle Tug of War: A Boundary Waters Counting Book.” Erwin is also a writer of other picture books and middle-grade novels. He is a licensed counselor with an interest in people who are refugees. He, his wife, and two sons live in Shoreview, Minnesota. In his spare time, he enjoys canoeing and camping. You can find Wes online https://weserwin.com/

His contact information can be found on his website. Wes is available for school visits. “Fire and Ashes” can be purchased at the publisher’s website
 https://thelittlefig.com/products/fire-and-ashes and at most bookstores.

An added bonus for classroom teachers is a curriculum guide for use with the book downloaded at The Little Fig website.  

PERSONAL POSTSCRIPT

For 10 years Wes and I were part of the writers' group in Shoreview. Minnesota called Shoreview Scribblers Critique Group. The group still meets on a monthly basis. It was a privilege for me to hear about the manuscript in its early stages as it was being developed. Indeed it was quite exciting to see the fruition of Wes's work published receiving his book in the mail.