First Fire: An Algonkian Story

For fans of acclaimed author, Joseph Bruchac, a First Nations origin story of how humans acquired fire with the help of the animals.

Imagine a time when humans huddled together to keep from freezing in the winters. A time without fire. Fire is one of the most basic needs for survival.

Ancient stories of how it came to us can be found in virtually every human society and the indigenous cultures of North America are no exception.

However, unlike the stories of other continents, Native American traditional tales almost always seek to both entertain and teach. Also, a holistic relationship between humans and the natural world is stressed in many ways. The wisdom and the assistance of the animals are often crucial.

Such is the case in this Algonkian story of how a boy, with the aid of Fox, stole fire from the deadly monsters who selfishly kept it for themselves. Be ready to both enjoy and learn as you read this vibrantly illustrated telling of First Fire.

Author: Joseph Bruchac
Publisher: Wisdom Tales
Published: 07/14/2026
Pages: 44
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 10.20h x 8.30w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781957670225
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 04/01/2026 pg. 60

About the Author
Joseph Bruchac is the multiple award-winning author of over 180 books. His poems, stories, and essays have appeared in hundreds of publications over the past five decades, from The Paris Review, National Geographic, American Poetry Review, and Smithsonian to Parabola, Akwesasne Notes, Epoch, and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He is co-author with Michael Caduto of the million-selling Keepers of the Earth series. An enrolled member of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation, he and his sons James and Jesse work extensively in programs to preserve and teach Native traditions and language at their Ndakinna Education Center (www.ndakinnacenter.org) in Greenfield Center, New York.

James Bruchac is an award-winning author, traditional storyteller, cultural educator, wilderness expert, and founder and director of the Ndakinna Education Center. James has authored and co-authored over a dozen books for adults and children, including Native American Games and Stories, How Chipmunk Got His Stripes, and The Girl Who Helped Thunder. The oldest son of author and storyteller Joseph Bruchac, James and his family are citizens of the Nulhegan Coosuk Band of the Abenaki Nation. Visit him at http: //jamesbruchac.com.

David Kanietakeron Fadden is an Akwesasne Mohawk artist who was born in New York and grew up in Onchiota. David's illustrations have appeared in several books, including Skywoman: Legends of the Iroquois and A Peacemaker for Warring Nations: The Founding of the Iroquois League (with Joseph Bruchac), as well as in the Discovery Channel's, "How the West was Lost: Always the Enemy." His work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. David lives with his family in Kawenoke, at Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, in Ontario, Canada.