I Am Smoke

Henry Herz ’82

Herz, a prolific author of works for children, teams up with illustrator Mercè López for this unusual, environmentally themed picture book in which smoke itself is the narrator—describing its own dangers and benefits. “I lack hands, but I can push out unwanted guests,” he writes. “I helped ancient Greeks drive termites, mosquitoes, rodents, and other pests from enclosed spaces.” As Kirkus says in a starred review: “Within this exquisitely beautiful melding of science and poetry is a ton of trust: trust that readers will absorb the intricate, evocative prose; trust they will utilize the comprehensive backmatter; and trust that readers will reconsider something as ubiquitous as smoke afresh.” Herz’s previous books include the 2017 “dinosaur pirates” tale Cap’n Rex & His Clever Crew.