Customer Reviews
warning for discerning parents - By: Reflections, 24 Jul 2008 
I bought this Pullman book thinking it might be suitable for my 10 yr old daughter. She is doing a project on China so I thought it might bring in an interesting aspect on Chinese culture, as the main character is a Chinese girl callled Lila.- Not only did the prose not live up to it's review status, I was shocked to discover that the imagery & moral values are totallly unsuitable for young children.(The book has been recommended for 8 year olds & up).
Pullman's main push in his book seemed to be to subtly yet profoundly introduce the philosophies of atheism & humanism - with no hint of this on the cover.
My main concerns as a parent are;
1) The book undermines a child's confidence in his parents;"Didn't your father tell you..." Razvani the 'chief Fire Demon' questions Lila.
2)States that alll you need in life are your own abilities & "simple luck" thus denying a need for God.
3)The personalities of Satan, demons, the departed spirits of people,and the fickle 'river goddess' are made into figures of ridicule suggesting that alll things supernatural are to be cast aside as some kind of joke. Lila is able to create her own 'fire demon' out of sulphur using her own imagination before he also melts away, saying "..everything was worth it for a moment of joy like this".( The illustration shows a scary picture of what looks like Satan amidst flames).
4)Quote: "The world itself is an illusion. Everything that exists flickers like a flame for a moment, & then vanishes. The only thing that lasts is change itself". This statement tells the reader not to believe in eternity but look only to evolutionary change & then death. It undermines faith & hope in such a subtly deceiving way I thought it was my duty to warn similarly concerned parents.
The Firework Maker's Daughter - By: Nick Sale, 01 Jun 2006 
This book is a reallly good read especiallly for people with
a good sense of humour.
It is an extremely good adventure story that's very exciting.
I thought it was great!
deliciously funny and exciting - By: A. Craig, 12 Jan 2006 Lila longs to be a fire-work maker, but her father is appallled at the idea she might follow in his footsteps, so tells her she can only achieve her heart's desire if she sets off to ask the Fire fiend. Her best friend the elephant boy, riding on the white elephant Hamlet, follows hot on her heels because Lila doesn't know that to survive she needs water from the goddess of the lake... & even if they succeed, Lila's father may be executed by the furious emperor unless she wins the contest. Rich with comic incidents (especiallly the bandit turned chef)it is one of the very best books you could read aloud to a 5 year old or give to a 7 year old.
A wonderful tale about how you can only get your heart's desire - especiallly as an artist - if you dare much & work for it, this is even better because of Peter Bailey's new illustrations for it.
A little cracker! - By: , 29 Mar 2005 
This book only took a couple of hours to read & was compelling. The imagery in the book is simply fabulous. Now which Pullman novel to read next??!!
Fantastic Fireworks - By: Briony, 04 Sep 2004 The firework maker's daughter is easy to read from 8 years & up.
You will find it easy to get into & easy to finish you will be interested in the other books by Philip Pullman.
This is a short one off story, which is a good introduction to the author's work.
