Louise M. Aamodt

Picture Book Author

crafting books for curious minds

Old-fashioned typewriter sprouts leaves and seeds as an ant poses atop.
Oval-shaped photo of author Louise M. Aamodt smiling outside.

A Forest Begins Anew

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Written by Louise M. Aamodt

Illustrated by Elly MacKay

Publisher: Astra Young Readers, 2026

ISBN ########### ##pages

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Buy this Book

  • Red Balloon Bookshop (link)

  • Local Bookstores (link to Bookshop.org)

  • Amazon (link)

  • Barnes&Noble (link)

Description

Forest fires, destructive yet rejuvenating, present one of nature’s greatest paradoxes. A FOREST BEGINS ANEW explores how fires begin, consume, and eventually help restore life. This lyrical story of hope and renewal includes more information in the back for curious readers.

Sample Excerpt

In a forest—

this is a cloud, dangerously dry, flinging the lightning that splits up the sky

Here is the land, thirsting for water, parched as the planet. grows hotter and hotter.

Free Downloadable Activities

All activities and guides may be downloaded and reproduced for educational purposes. Basically, if you’re using them to help kids learn instead of for your own financial gain, go for it!

Behind the Book

As a kid, I visited Yellowstone National Park before and after its 1988 firestorm. I was shocked by the change. Decades later, I read about bluebirds nesting in old woodpecker holes carved into burnt trees. That cause-effect relationship fascinated me, as did the delicate balance between helpful and harmful forest fires.

Photos

Picture book author Louise M. Aamodt stands behind a severely scorched upright tree.
Picture book author Louise M. Aamodt climbs the many, many steps of a fire lookout tower.

Huff, puff… SO MANY STEPS up this fire lookout tower!

When I slow down to play around with art, the projects often turn into some kind of fire image. I guess I have forest fires on the brain!

Watercolor ‘stained glass’

A semi-abstract bolt of lightning strikes downward, sparking a flame. The edges are roughly outlined in white, with loose watercolor fillers.
Picture book author Louise M. Aamodt sniffs a fallen and severely scorched tree trunk.

While exploring this burnt forest, I discovered some very—distinctive—smells.

Pee-yew!

Picture book author Louise M. Aamodt pushes a wheelbarrow holding a shovel and an uprooted pine tree.
A piece of soapstone is carved in the shape of a flame, with another flame etched into it. A hole for a string is bored near the top of the flame.

Soapstone carving

Author Louise M. Aamodt holds up a white paper. Thin black tape outlines a pine tree and a large flame.
Picture book author Louise M. Aamodt peeks from behind an abstract acrylic painting of a forest fire.

Abstract acrylic: Painted with bubble wrap, bottle caps, and cotton swabs

Picture book author Louise M. Aamodt squats by the trunk of a severely burnt fallen tree trunk, plugging her nose and sticking out her tongue in disgust.

Fused glass suncatcher

Thin black tape still outlines the flame and tree, which have now been watercolor painted. Abstract blobs fill the background.
The watercolor paint has dried. Removing the thin black tape reveals the white beneath, so the flames and tree are now outlined in white.

Step 1: Tape design. Step 2: Paint. Step 3: Remove tape.

Picture book author Louise M. Aamodt squats next to a freshly-transplanted pine tree and a black dog.

Transplanting pine trees with my not-so-helpful assistant.

This sun catcher consists of a piece of glass with small colored glass bits melted into it, making an abstract forest fire design.
Acrylic painting of pine trees ablaze at night

Acrylic: Trying to paint a blazing nighttime forest gave me a whole new respect for artists. It’s hard!