Police Officers on Patrol by Kersten Hamilton

Police Officers on Patrol by Kersten Hamilton, illustrated by R.W. Alley

Rating: 5 stars

We had some high excitement at our house a few Sundays ago.  Our doorbell rang--something that doesn't happen in our not-so-populated neck of the woods--and who should be standing at our door but...a policeman!  While Lorelei rushed to introduce herself and explain how we've been reading a book on policemen ("I'll go get it and show you!" she exclaimed, then darted off to find this book and show it to the officer, who was appropriately impressed and sweet.), Ben just stood and stared in awe at the police cars.

Us parents were not so excited as he was looking for a burglar who has been prowling around our county for a few months.  He is getting closer and closer to our house.  I'd be more worried if we didn't have two big ol' dogs who'd be happy to take a bite out of crime.  Literally.

Anyway, since we were just reading this book, the visit was a super positive one--a "teachable moment" as teachers and parents like to say.  The police officer explained how he was looking for a bad guy and wanted to keep us safe.  In the book, there are three different problems (broken traffic light, lost child, and burglar) that three different officers (two male, one female) help to solve.  The pictures make the situations just serious enough to make it a problem, but light enough that the child isn't worried or frightened.  The refrain is: "Uniform! Badge! Radio!  When you need help, we rock and roll!" so we checked out the uniform, badge, and radio on the officer on our doorstep.  He was a good sport; we (mentally) gave him two gold stars.

I'd say this is a must-read, just to introduce the police to your kids.  Hopefully your neighborhood will be burglar-free for the next few decades, but...better to teach your kids all about community safety before they really need the lessons.

Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton

Red Truck by Kersten Hamilton, illustrated by Valeria Petrone

Rating: 5 stars

I just finished up my review of A Fly Went By , where I explained how, if you read this book to your kids, they will soon have a few vocabulary words that, while inevitable, are not exactly desirable.  Words such as kill, whip, and gun.  So maybe that's not the best book choice out there.

You should read this book to your child for the exact opposite reason--to add the word "hero" to his or her vocabulary.  Shouldn't all kids know it as soon as possible?  In this simple tale, a school bus gets stuck on a rainy and snowy day (it's called "wintry mix" here in the DC area) and Red Truck comes to rescue it.  "Splishy-splashy wet HOORAY! / Our hero for a rainy day... / is RED TRUCK!"

The friendly illustrations, while very cute, do crack me up a little.  Can you imagine the truck that would be required to rescue a school bus in those conditions in real life?  A Ford 250, or some gas guzzler, dude car like that.  Now that you've got that vision in your head, glance at the cover of the book.  Look at those dinky tires!  That just makes me smile, though I didn't share this little joke with the kids...I don't want it to be me who spoils the fun.