Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell

Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli

Rating: 5 speeding, life-saving stars

Who doesn't love a fireman?  We are fans of all first responders in this house, but firefighters hold a special place in our hearts.  Especially Ben's big little heart.  I am sure that 99.8% of little boys go crazy when a fire truck speeds by, with sirens blazing, forcing cars to get out of the way.  This is Ben--in fact, he starts crying and moaning when they pass, wanting to see them again.  Ben really would love it if, one day, I put my blinkers on and go on the chase, following that fire truck in an exciting, traffic-dodging race to the emergency.  He might pee his pants (which would happen anyway, of course, since he's still in diapers).


Fireman Ben to the rescue!



Lorelei and I went to the library last Saturday and I spotted this book on the little shelf of board books.  I'm so glad it jumped right out at me, because it's a great one.  Firefighters are a pretty easy subject for a well selling book (along with trucks and princesses)--but there are definitely some duds out there.  This one is great!  It's a sturdy board book, which is essential in Ben's oops-did-I-rip-that hands, and is a poem, which is always nicer to read, especially to kids under 2 or 3.  And it actually teaches small but important facts about firefighting; my two favorites: that saving lives is their most important jobs (many firefighter books shy away from this--their firemen rescue cats from trees or check the fire alarms in pizza parlors); and that cars need to get out of the way when a fire truck races past (all DC residents need to read this and re-learn that basic driving fact).

Ben has slept with this book since we checked it out from the library.  I try and keep library books downstairs (after one got ripped up during a particularly destructive naptime) but this board book was an exception.  It's way too cool a book to not read over and over and over and over again.  I've not memorized it YET, but...give me another few days with it.

Ben is still too young to do crafts like this (or am I just too lazy?), but I found this neat activity on the fantastic No Time For Flashcards website.  Super crafty moms can do this (build a fire station with some empty milk cartons) with their fire-fighter-obsessed kids.  Maybe next year!