A Fabulous Fourth
A Fabulous Fourth of July
Reviewed by Jerry D. Flack, Ph.D.
Burgess, Matthew. Fireworks. Illus. by Catia Chien. New York: Clarion Books, 2025. Ralph Caldecott Medal, 2026.
The Ralph Caldecott Medal was established in 1938 by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the previous year. The first recipient was Dorothy P. Lathrop for her illustrations in Animals of the Bible. Almost 90 years later the 2026 winner is Fireworks written by Matthew Burgess and gloriously illustrated by Catia Chien. The award is richly deserved. Fireworks was also named a best illustrated picture book of 2025 by the New York Times and the New York Public Library. The book design is perfect and especially inviting. It is highlighted by a dramatic four-page foldout that will dazzle young children and their older siblings, parents, and grandparents who will share the book as a magical read aloud. The color choices include bright fuchsia end papers and the 44 exuberant pages of art and text that celebrate a fantastic summer day viewed through the eyes of two young children in a vibrant urban setting. This includes the evening’s eye-popping rooftop viewing of July 4th pyrotechnics that highlight the entire city.
The first-person verse text by Matthew Burgess is sparse, but the narration enriches the passage of a singularly special day, July 4th, from early morning breakfast to bedtime for young children, in morning to night illustrations. The extraordinary day includes an exhilarating trip to the park, joyously eating bright red slices of juicy watermelon, street dancing to the cooling water of a burst water hydrant, a grandmother’s scrumptious supper, and ultimately the brave climb up rickety stairs to the rooftop of their tall apartment building all the better to view the incandescent Fourth of July fireworks display.
The liberal use of onomatopoeia adds a great sense of fun to the verbal sharing of Fireworks. “Pop,” “Sizzle,” “Kaboom,” “Woohoo!” and “Weee!” give joyful sounds to the oral reading of Fireworks. The accompanying font size, color, and positioning of the onomatopoeic entries contribute to the splendor of the picture book.
The verse text particularly entices the senses absorbed by the story’s two young siblings. Breakfast and dinner appeal to a marvelous sense of taste. In the hot summer day, the two handsome children feel the heat of steamy city sidewalks. Engaging Salsa music that escapes from a neighborhood window is just one of many sources of an urban symphony of sounds that charm the children. The magnificent evening fireworks yield electrifying visual and aromatic sensations.
Fireworks shimmer over the city
before fading into ghosts,
and in the air,
the sharp charcoal sniff
of a thousand matches extinguished.
The crowning achievement of Fireworks is the spectacular artwork of Catia Chien, a Brazilian Taiwanese painter. Every double-page spread brilliantly contributes to the celebration of one special urban summer day and night. Happily, Chiern’s use of an impressionistic artistic style leaves open the certainty of the race or ethnicity of the two children. The delightful use of chopsticks at breakfast suggest an Asian heritage, but an early morning walk to a bodega evokes a possible Hispanic background of the two marvelous children. The joy of the two children is paramount. What is truly vital is the pure bliss that the two children experience on a joyous summer day that culminates with bright bursts of fireworks seen from the very top of their high-rise city home. The neon-inspired portrayal of the children’s day is eye-popping. The fireworks are the glorious culmination of a perfect summer day. The illustrations also proudly reveal an intergenerational cue. The children’s meals and other activities are provided by a grandmother with white hair and a loving smile. Taken as a whole, the double-page spreads chronicle a joyful day from daybreak to evening for two young children. However, each spread stands alone as a rich, vibrant painting. A trip through the pages matches an art gallery celebration of urban life.
Home and School Activities
Write and illustrate an original picture book. One of the joys and benefits of seemingly simple picture books such as Fireworks is that they can serve as models that gifted and creative students can use in the creation of their own original books. The subject matter need not be sophisticated or complex. Fireworks celebrates a single day, July 4th, and how two young children experience the summer holiday from awakening until bedtime. Subject matter is infinite. Holidays and seasons make sterling content for original picture books, but so do animals, special places such as city parks, and heroic biographies. Original picture books can be individual endeavors or two or more youths can collaborate in the creation of their book making.
Book design. Original narratives and illustrations are front and center in both the study and creation of picture books, but book design is also vital. Just a few of the book design questions for young creators are as follows. What size and how many pages will an original book contain? Will the orientation of the book be vertical or horizontal? What style of art (e.g., cartoons, folk art) will be used? How will the book cover and end pages appear? Will there be an author and illustrator page? What font size, color, and positioning will be used? What media will be used to create the artwork? Will the illustrations of the book fill entire pages or will there be borders and lots of white space? Will the book stand alone or will nonfiction end matter further explore the subject matter for potential readers? Will there be special effects such as the foldout pages included in Fireworks?
Fireworks. July 4th and New Year’s Eve are typical occasions for community or citywide fireworks displays in the United States. When are giant fireworks displays held in other nations? Urge readers to use print and online resources to research fireworks and write a report, create an information poster, or give an oral presentation about fireworks. What is the history of fireworks? Where did they first originate? How are they made and how do they work? How are brilliant colors achieved? What precautions need to be taken when using fireworks? When and where are excellent times to view fireworks? What are some other words to describe fireworks? Encourage readers of all ages to paint a picture of the best fireworks display they have ever seen.
