Fire in Your Belly

A beautiful, poetic picture book about how the emotions we feel inside can connect us with our ancestors and give us courage for the future.

Late one night, a Cree girl's kookum (grandmother) tells her a bedtime story of how the world came to be. How long ago, embers fell from the sky and made all living things, big and small. And how, to this day, little pieces of the sky continue to live warm in our bellies.

With lyrical, flowing text and powerful watercolor illustrations, this uplifting story illuminates how that fire within connects us all from generation to generation and is fed with every emotion we experience: It glows from joy when we're picking fresh summer raspberries, hisses when emotions are a fierce storm, smolders with anger, and ignites when our bellies fill with laughter while splashing in puddles.

Page by page, the girl learns how to appreciate and feed the embers with laughter and love, and to release feelings when they build like thunder by letting tears stream down like cleansing rain. She learns that the fire is what makes us strong and gives us courage, even when we doubt ourselves.

A traditional Indigenous story to treasure, Fire in Your Belly shares the universal message that we are forever connected to the ancestors who passed down the fire generations ago--and that we each continue to carry it to brighten all that is, ever was, and will be.

FIERY FEELINGS: Helping children understand, manage, and value their feelings from a young age is an essential part of social-emotional learning. This story serves as a reminder that it's okay to feel intense feelings and how important they can be.

RADIANT READ-ALOUD: With roots in oral storytelling, this makes an engaging read-aloud. Children will be captivated by Rebecca Lafond's writing, which feels as enchanting and refreshing as wind through the trees.

CLASSROOM APPEAL: This book offers a beautiful way to bring Indigenous history and culture into the classroom, showing kids that traditional stories are current and resonant, and inspiring them with a sense of strength and activism to carry them forward.

GORGEOUS GIFT: The warm, fiery illustrations are kindled by the beautiful story, making this picture book a heartwarming and healing present for anyone.

Perfect for:

• Indigenous families wanting to see themselves represented in children's literature
• Parents, grandparents, and caregivers looking for the next great read-aloud story
• Gift-giving to anyone who would treasure a story with a heartwarming grandparent-grandchild bond
• Teachers, educators, and librarians seeking a beautiful Indigenous book or an instructive story about emotions to share with students
• Supplemental material for curricula on Indigenous history and culture

Author: Rebecca LaFond
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 09/22/2026
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.04lbs
Size: 9.16h x 11.31w x 0.48d
ISBN: 9781797226781
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.3
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 560048 / Fire in Your Belly


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2026
Publishers Weekly 08/31/2026

About the Author
Rebecca Lafond is an Indigenous poet, writer, and author from the Beardy's and Okemasis Cree Nation, born and raised on Treaty 6 Territory. She received her fine arts master's degree from the University of British Columbia, and she has instructed creative writing through YouthWrite Society Canada, where she currently serves as a board member. Rebecca firmly believes that there's knowledge and wisdom in what we say and sacredness in Indigenous storytelling.

Aly McKnight is an artist, illustrator, and enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Her art features vibrant colors and Indigenous stories. She spends her days sketching, watercolor painting, collaborating with the Indigenous creative community, and adventuring with her family throughout Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.