Father comforts daughter after her childhood home burns

Dear Wild Child: You Carry Your Home Inside You

Written by Wallace J. Nichols and Wallace Grayce Nichols

Illustrated by Drew Beckmeyer

Cameron + Company, 2022

This picture book, “Dear Wild Child: You Carry Your Home Inside You,” was inspired by a letter a father wrote to comfort his daughter after her childhood home burned down. She had just left home for college.

The story is in the father’s voice. It begins “We built your house around you when you were still growing inside your mother, in the shade of ancient redwood trees, by a creek, not far from the ocean.”

He tells his daughter that her home helped make her the person she is today. It was built strong of hardwood and stone. The family filled it with books, guitars, a piano, pets, and memories.

She learned to walk there, and listened to sweet lullabies. The wind sang though the canyon, the trees, and the chimney. The fireplace crackled and kept them warm.

In the canyon, she played. She discovered salamanders, swimming holes and fairy houses. She collected buckets of plums, heart-shaped rocks, and crawdads. Bright stars peeked through the trees and owls called.

They had sleepovers, holiday gatherings, parties, and weddings in the house. They entertained many visitors and had delicious dinners there.

The house withstood droughts, floods, and earthquakes. She was there to see it all.

Then a lightening storm blew through the canyon. It started a wildfire.

“The unstoppable flames roared over the ridges and climbed the tall trees,” writes the father. “The fire took back your house. I wish I could have protected it. But I couldn’t and I didn’t.”

But he tells his daughter, “Your house served its original purpose. You are healthy and strong because of your home. It grew you.

“The house might be gone, but you will carry your home with you wherever you go. You are my wild child.”

The colorful illustrations bring life to the book. Their colored marker style appeals to children.

At the back of the book, the author Wallace J. Nichols tells about the fire. He says climate change is making weather less predictable and more extreme. We will need to become resilient and more creative.

About the Authors

Wallace J. Nichols wrote this picture book with his daughter Wallace Grayce Nichols. Wallace J. Nichols is a marine biologist. He lives in the Slow Coast of Central California. 

Wallace Grayce Nichols is a student of sustainable design.

About the Illustrator

Drew Beckmeyer is a fine artist, an illustrator, and an elementary school teacher. He lives in California.

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