FIREWORKS
Words by Matthew Burgess * Pictures by Cátia Chien
Clarion/HarperCollins * May 13, 2025 * Order HERE
ISBN 9780063216723 * 44 pages
Fireworks is a sparkling picture book from the award-winning team of Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien, highlighting the simple delights of a steamy July day in the city as two siblings eagerly anticipate a spectacular fireworks display.
Society of Illustrators Gold Medal
A NYT/NYPL Best Illustrated Book
Kirkus’ Best Books of 2025
School Library Journal’s Best Books of 2025
Publisher’s Weekly Best Picture Books of 2025
★ “Burgess’ succinct, sensory-rich, onomatopoeia-laden text beats with an infectious rhythm, while Chien’s impressionistic mixed-media artwork sets the mood beautifully on each spread… A radiant celebration of all things summer.” –Kirkus (Starred Review)
★ “Writing in limpid prose and illustrating in sunny, softly stroked multimedia spreads, previous collaborators Burgess and Chien (The Bear and the Moon) follow two East Asian–cued children through a hot city Fourth of July… In this joyous seasonal idyll, the creators capture with onomatopoeic eloquence the day’s sensations, and establish the children’s day as free and expansive, with plenty of time to savor sounds, sights, and ‘summer on our skin.’” –Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
★ “Burgess packs his poetic text with zesty sound effects and onomatopoeia that make this a must for reading aloud…From start to finish, Chien’s evocative, childlike mixed-media illustrations pop and soar, creating a series of memorable images… An immersive celebration of summer and siblinghood.” – The Horn Book (Starred Review)
★ “Imaginative and radiant… This joyful title will capture young readers and win the hearts of all ages.” –School Library Journal (Starred Review)
★ “It’s a joyful celebration of simply being alive and experiencing the world in the guileless way children do. Electric, affectionate, and enchanting.” — Booklist (Starred Review)
★ 'Brimming with rich sensory details, Burgess’ poetic verses combine with Chien’s marvelous mixed-media artwork to celebrate the exuberant, magical moments of summertime.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (Starred Review)
★ “A wonderful book to read aloud and pore over.” –Bookpage (Starred Review)
“How I remember taking our kids out on a summer day when the air was so hot, so humid, so heavy for the adults, but those little bundles of energy would laugh as they ran and skipped — jumping into the fountain in Washington Square. Later, as day became night, we waited on the roof of our tenement building (like the two wide-eyed children Chien depicts) for the first fireworks to explode against the darkness. This book brings it all back. Its mixed-media art (created with pastels, pencils, paint and scratch board) makes loud sounds — so clear, so close — and expresses big feelings. The typography, too, pops and bursts and darts like sparklers. “Swish … Zing … Tizzle-ting … POOF!” Then the giant, echoing, rose-colored BOOMs of what feels like the finale. “Isit over?” one child asks. “Wait!” says the other. “A lull before … KABOOM.” — Peter Sís, The New York Times
“But Matthew Burgess and Cátia Chien? By the magic that imbues only the best of picture books, these two work exceedingly well together. Burgess brings the literary poetry. Chen, the level of creativity and sheer chutzpah a book like this one warrants. Together, they are unstoppable…When you read enough picture books you shouldn’t allow yourself to have favorites. Still, I state loud and clear for the record, that this is without a doubt my favorite firework-related summertime picture book ever. Beautiful, weirdly touching, and utterly original. “Swish Zing Tizzle-ting POOF!” –Betsy Bird, Fuse 8
