“I AM SMOKE,” BY HENRY HERZ, AN ATMOSPHERE STORY

Reviewed by Pennell Paugh

July 27, 2023 (San Diego) -- San Diego resident Henry Herz’s latest picture book is titled I Am Smoke. Smoke is the narrator, relating how it has served humankind since prehistory for signaling, beekeeping, curing and flavoring food, religious rites, and fumigating insects.

The book’s rhythmic narration is complemented by illustrations where swirling smoke is captured. The impressionistic images resonate with the text. The book invites the user to enjoy the words over and over, finding deeper meaning in each reading.

“Flickering flames work their mysterious magic on burning branches.

I am born a swirling, roiling mist of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ash

I am borne aloft in the heat’s embrace, soaring and spreading my wings

I am smoke.”

Herz is the author of 10 picture books. Look for his follow-up novel, I Am Gravity, which will be coming out in 2024. His children’s short stories have been published in Highlights for Children, Ladybug Magazine and in anthologies for Albert Whitman & Co. and Blackstone Publishing.

Herz also writes adult science fiction and fantasy short stories. He holds a BS in Engineering from Cornell, an MS in Engineering from George Washington U, and an MA in Political Science from Georgetown U. He is a member of SCBWI and the San Diego Writers & Editors Guild. Visit him at www.henryherz.com.