Helping children understand bushfires
Bushfires can be really scary, especially for young children. If you need help talking to your kids about what’s going on around them, try reading Birdie and the Fire. It’s a free online picture book designed to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young children, parents and families
Birdie is a small bird who is forced to flee when a bushfire sweeps through her neighbourhood. The story has colourful illustrations and a compassionate but truthful explanation of living through fire.
It is part of a series of books written with the support of mental health experts to support children to cope with natural disasters and other big life events. This book is available in many community languages, including English, Arabic, Hindi, Chinese and more.
The book has been developed by Children’s Health Queensland and all of the Birdie stories and resources are available online at:
https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/chq/our-services/mental-health-services/qcpimh/natural-disaster-resources/storybooks/
View the animation