Fire on the Mountain

by Jane Kurtz, E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)

Challenged by his master to spend a bitter-cold night alone in the mountains, Fire on the Mountain is about an Ethiopian boy who bets his future that he will succeed.

When his master refuses to recognize the boy's victory, the boy and his sister decide to beat the rich man at his own game. It's all in Jane Kurtz's fantastic tale, Fire on the Mountain .

Genres: Picture Books, Ethiopia, Africa, Childrens, Geography, Folklore, Nonfiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents moved to Ethiopia. Jane grew up in Maji, a small town in the southwest corner of the country.
Since there were no televisions, radios, or movies, her memories are of climbing mountains, wading in rivers by the waterfalls, listening to stories, and making up her own stories, which she and her sisters acted out for days at a time.


That love of nature has recently inspired her to write books about loving the Earth--such as WHAT DO THEY DO WITH ALL THAT POO? and PLANET JUPITER.

Jane has published more than 40 books, fiction, nonfiction, picture books, novels for young readers, and ready-to-reads. Some are based on her childhood in Ethiopia. Some draw on her own children, such as ANNA WAS HERE, a novel for young readers that asks life's big questions about pain and disaster--and offers a few puny answers.

Since her childhood in Ethiopia, Jane has lived in Illinois, Colorado, North Dakota, Kansas and--now--back in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Toni]

Wonderful, elegant retelling of the original Ethiopian folktale. As always, Lewis' illustrations are breathtaking and inspiring. While the subtraction of the boy's friends retracted a little bit of the fantasy for me, the addition of the boy's sister as a major element to this beautiful story turned out to be something I rather enjoyed.

[Paige Cuthbertson| Turning_Every_Paige]

I had never heard of this book before but found a brand new copy at a thrift store today. I’m so excited to find another children’s book about Africa/African people! Too many books about Africa only feature safari animals.

This was a beautifully told tale of courage, honesty, and resourcefulness. The illustrations were lovely too! Highly recommend.

[Stuart]

Wonderful plot, illustrations and message.

[Ruqayya Jarad]

This multicultural book is a story about brother and sister who live in the high and beautiful mountains of Ethiopia, the boy is a shepherd named Alemayu. He and his sister live as servants in the house of a bad-tempered and arrogant rich man. Alemayu is challenged by his master to survive a night alone in the cold mountain air.If he succeeds,he and his sister will be rewarded.If he fails, they will be left homeless and jobless.This story is for grade level K-2. The illustration is great and by looking at the picture you can tell a lot about the life and culture of the people in that area.

[LeAnne]

This story of a clever young shepherd boy and his sister outwitting a dishonest rich man is a retelling of a traditional tale. The illustrations give an authentic glimpse of the rich culture of Ethiopia where the author grew up.

[MaryJo]

With Jane Kurtz' lyrical prose and E.B. Lewis' beautiful illustrations this book is a treasure. It is a wonderful story of two wise and gentle beings, a young boy and his sister, and the hubris of their master.

[Andrea L’Ecuyer]

I think this a great book to allow teachers to talk to students about helping others and putting others before yourself. This book talks about a brother risking his life to make his sister and his life better in the end if he passes the test. The book could also help the students become brave.

[Cheryl]

Humorous folktale of a young boy and those around him who stand up for him. Soft watercolors illustrate this story nicely. Part of Soar to Success.

[Zariah Walton]

I was really disappointed that this book did not interest me at all because based off of the cover, I thought it would have a great attention grabber and it turned out to do the complete opposite. It was not illustrated well and it was a little boring in my opinion. over all I would not choose to read this book to my students.

[Steph]

Kurtz revisits an Ethiopian tale with a villain that is boastful, a cheat, and cruel to children. But this story has two heroes who are wise, gentle, and brave. Through courage and cleverness, the children win a bet with the cruel master and go on to care for their own herd. As they age, they practice kindness and generosity.

[Jenny Hartfelder]

My 7yo: I like how the boy was very brave when he was out on the mountain. But I didn't like how the man boasted and changed his mind and didn't keep his word. God tells us to keep our word.

The mama: The artwork in this story is beautiful, and I loved the wisdom with which the servants approached their master's deception. Beautiful folktale from Ethiopia.

#passportaroundtheworld #ethiopia

[Congetta]

3.5 rounded up

[Grace Rose]

This book is an amazing retelling of a story with Ethiopian roots, and has beautiful illustrations to match!

[Nikki Wilson]

I am glad that this oral story which has many different versions is written in this book. The moral of the story is so important.

[Sandy]

A clever boy and his sister outwit a rich man in Ehtiopia. The whole family enjoyed this tale. While it was sad (the children are orphaned) my daughter loved the clever ending.

[June]

Courageous big sister defeats solipsistic rich man.

[Elizabeth Miller]

This was a fun story to teach a truth. Just because you can see it doesn't mean you experience it. Good book for a good discussion.

[Terry]

Jane Kurtz's retold folktale takes no more than fifteen minutes to read, if you go slowly and take time to examine the lovely watercolor illustrations by E.B. Lewis. It is a book intended for young children, which means everyone can gain something meaningful from it. Set in Ethiopia, the featured characters are an honest and clever girl and her courageous younger brother who accepts a challenge from a wealthy man who has forgotten that he has a heart. You might have already guessed who emerges the victor before reaching the end, but you will be surprised and delighted by the path to success. Treat yourself and any child you know.

[Diane]

"Then far, far off I saw a shepherd's fire on another mountain. I kept my eyes on the red glow in the distance, and I dreamed of being warm. And that is how I had the strength to survive."

Alemayu is challenged by a rich man to spend the night up in the mountains. If he can survive all night, the rich man will give Alemayu four cows and a bag of money. If not, Alemayu and his sister must leave the rich man's house. When Alemayu returns the next morning, he describes how he was able to keep warm by imagining the warmth from a distant fire. The rich man immediately says that he did not stick to the bargain and must leave. But at dinner that night, Alemayu's sister uses the smell of food to show the rich man the difference between imagining something to eat and actually eating something. And the point is made.

Based on an Ethiopian traditional story.

[Elizabeth]

This Ethiopian folktale is a very unique story about a young boy who is a shepherd in Ethiopia named Alemayu. Alemayu and his sister are servants to an evil-spirited and unkind rich man, who challenges Alemayu to survive a night alone in the cold mountains, offering a reward to he and his sitter if he can do it. Eventually with the help of others sticking up for him and believing in him, Alemayu and his sister end up being the wealthy ones at the end. I thought this was a very good book for children personally, and I think it kept them engaged but was also not overwhelming or boring for them to read. It shows the importance of having dreams and being brave, as well as doing kind things for others and not just yourself.
This story is very good for children from 1st grade to 3rd/4th grade to read because it has appropriate language that is challenging but not above their reading level, and it has a good moral message. One thing about this book to note regarding language is that it uses words from the Ethiopian culture, such as injera, wat, and mesob. The illustrations also do a wonderful job of highlighting the Ethiopian culture, and what Alemayu's life and environment is like.
This story teaches children that being selfless and believing in yourself will always make you the winner in the end. This book would be good to help teach about being kind, or doing things with others in mind (Alemayu did it to help his sister too, not just himself). I think it can also demonstrate how having dreams and trying to achieve them is important, and that to achieve them, you need to have courage and bravery, and even help from others at times.
I think this book has multiple purposes, one being to teach about a different culture. Many children would associate a shepherd with probably an older man, not a young slave boy that might even be around their own age, depending on the grade you are teaching. It could also be used to teach about Ethiopia and how kid's lives differ from country to country. I would read this aloud, and have children read it with small groups and pick out things that we may not have in our culture that Alemayu has, such as hyenas, for example, and have them-depending on the age of my students-either draw it, or write/talk about/draw the equivalent to these things hat we can find in our culture.

[Robert]

I am sure I purchased this long ago solely based on the title. Ah, a Grateful Dead reference. Nevertheless, it is a good story with a lesson.

A young Ethiopian shepherd boy loses his parents and goes off to seek his sister, who is a servant to a rich man. He spends many a night in the mountains and survives.

The boy finds his sister and serves the rich man too. He then accepts a challenge from the master: spend a bitter cold night atop the mountain with just his shirt. If he does, the rich man will bequeath him four cows and a bag of money. The boy completes the task by looking at a far off fire and dreaming of being warm. The rich man reneged on his promise.

The boy and the girl were to be ousted after the evening's feast.

All the servants cooked the rich man's favorite foods and were prepared to play his favorite music, but delivered neither. The rich man was angry. The servants equated smelling the food and pondering the music to the boy looking at a fire atop the mountain. The rich man paid up and the boy ended up rich in the end.

[Anna]

My love for Ethiopia began with a single picture of a homeless and miserable and sickly orphan girl. Ever since I saw that picture, it changed me in a bizarre way I can't properly explain and since then, I have been seeking and searching for books about Ethiopia so that I can study as much as I can about it before I become a nurse and go there.

Fire On The Mountain is a delightful story about a brave and rather remarkable little boy with big dreams of being rich and going to a far away city but for now he is stuck as a shepherd who takes care of his uncle's sheep however he owns a flute which he plays beautifully.

His sister works as a servant for a rich man and since both of their parents have died during a famine, it's up to Alemayu to be the man of the family and take care of his sister although she is quite older than he is.

I'll write more later!!

[Tori]

I think this was a great story that will teach children that being selfish will not let them win in the end. The ones who give of themselves will be rewarded. This is a good book to read out loud to the class to teach about selfishness. Also, I would put this in my classroom library. I could even see the kids writing about something they could todo to show that they are brave as along as, it is something that they can do safely and won't get in trouble for.

[Sarah]

Wonderful tale set in a foreign land. Alemayu a shepherd boy works as a cowherder for a rich man. He makes a wager with the man to sleep on the mountain all night for some cows. The way the servants trick the rich man make this story a fun read.

[Al-]

I love the beautiful pictures in this book. The people, & the place, really do look straight out of Ethiopia.
The Story is a simple one about a boy wanting to be with & care for his family. He is set up to fail, but he comes through in the end.

[Rachel N]

Fabulous illustrations and a touching story of a young boy's fight for survival in the Ethiopian countryside. We will be reading this one to our children in the future.

[Katelyn Warner]

* Boy on an adventure
* Set in Africa
* Long picture book, don't read if kids are not interested
* Boy becomes a cow-herder

[Ebony Hargett]

This is a wonderful, multicultural story, set in Ethiopia. I would use this story in the classroom as a read-aloud and a discussion on perseverance and courage.

[Deanna]

Excellent!

[Camille Tesch]

Ages 8-10