The Reefs of Fire

Author: Keith Sinclair

Illustrator: David Armitage

From the inside front cover: "This is a Pacific adventure story - with a difference. When Sina and Mat sail away with their teacher to escape the volcanoes erupting near their home, they are also sailing back through time. To a time when islands were made - at the beginning of the world - a world that is on fire. This unusual and fascinating story will appeal as much to adults as to children. The story is simple but compelling. Is this how it all began?."

National Library of NZ Entry

Keith Sinclair, co-author of The Story of New Zealand from my previous review, returns with The Reefs of Fire, a children’s book that transforms his poem “The Ballad of Meola Creek” into a prose adventure. Before diving in, a brief note on Sinclair: born in 1922 in Point Chevalier, Auckland, he was the eldest of ten children. After serving in the war and pursuing studies, he became a renowned history professor at the University of Auckland, celebrated as one of New Zealand’s finest historians—and a poet to boot. His experiences on the Meola Reef, stretching into the Waitematā Harbour, inspired this tale.

The Reefs of Fire follows Sina and Mat, two young friends living near the sea with their mothers. Their days brim with exploration, fishing, and boating until volcanic eruptions upend their world. Alongside their teacher, Sir, they sail to an island for safety, only to return and find their town buried in ash and their mothers gone. Joined by Peta, a boy with a sack of food, they lose Sir but press on, eventually settling on another island. In a dreamlike twist, a mysterious boy nets fire from the sky and fishes three new islands from the sea. Awakening to a renewed world, the trio begins life anew.

Though styled like a picture book, the lengthy text targets 8-12-year-olds, matching its reading level. Sinclair’s prose is beautifully crafted, rich with sailing terminology that will delight young enthusiasts. David Armitage’s illustrations—some in vivid color, others in striking black-and-white sketches—are breathtaking, among the finest I’ve encountered in children’s literature. (Armitage also illustrated The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch, written by his wife Ronda in 1977.) Three stunning full-page spreads are pictured below.

Yet, as an adult reader, I found the story peculiar. The children flee multiple volcanic eruptions—sailing wooden boats through boiling seas near lava flows—without mention of lethal pyroclastic flows, which strains believability. Their indifference to their missing mothers and teacher feels jarring, and the mythical ending, where they herald a new beginning, lands without weight or meaning. Children may overlook these flaws, swept up in the adventure and wonder, but for me, the narrative fails to resonate despite its elegance and charm.

Content Considerations: God’s name is used in vain once.

The book is rare, but there are copies available online. Book Express is an excellent New Zealand online secondhand retailer. Otherwise, check the link below.

Purchase this book (AbeBooks)