FIREFIGHTERS!

This rhyme will burn bright for imaginations that are ignited by sirens, red trucks and lifesaving heroes. When the alarm sounds, “CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!” the firefighters rush down the pole and prepare to face the emergency. They “[p]ut on great big fireproof suits. Put on helmets, gloves, and boots.” With their eager Dalmatian at the heel, they jump aboard the cherry red truck and let the sirens wail. They reach the flaming building with hoses squirting, save lives and, after much toiling, vanquish the flames. Back at the station, they gear down, clean up and settle in with cookies and coffee. There are loads of details and plenty of noisy sound words like “crackle,” “roar” and “whoosh” to keep preschool minds captivated. The illustrations are bright and bold with crisp graphics of eager firefighters, orange flames and the well-equipped fire truck figuring prominently. The simplicity of the artwork, however, sets this book far apart from Hubbell’s previous three: Cars (2006), Trucks (2003) and Trains (2005), which focus more on vehicles and feature inventive collage art by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy. This one’s a siren song for those youngest of firefighters. (Picture book. 2-5)