Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving!

Community Heroes

by Patricia Hubbell, Viviana Garófoli

Clang! Clang! Clang! Firefighters rush into their fireproof suits. They pull on their helmets, gloves, and boots. Then off they roar in their trucks—zooming away to save the day!

Genres: Picture Books, Firefighters, Storytime, Childrens, Transport, Poetry

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Patricia Hubbell has been writing poetry since she was eleven years old.
In 1998, her Wrapping Paper Romp was selected as a Parents Magazine Book of the Year.
Patricia Hubbell lives with her husband, Harold Hornstein, in Easton, Connecticut, the small town where she was born.
Remembering how much their children and grandchildren loved to bounce when they were very young prompted her to write Bouncing Time. "Bouncing is one of the joyous things little kids do," she says. "It reflects their constant enthusiasm."

Reviews

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Clang Clang Clang! Firefighters rush! Scurry! Down the pole. Slide! Hurry!” With those opening lines, preschoolers are launched into the fast-paced and often dangerous world of firefighters dashing to the rescue. Hubbell uses short, declarative phrases, rhyming text and lots of sound effects to convey the actions and urgency of firefighters as they perform their jobs. Straight-forward illustrations in primary colors complement the red of the fire engines and nicely depict the various types of equipment that firefighters use. The pictures rendered by illustrator Viviana Garafoli portray the sometimes scary tasks performed by firefighters in a palatable way. This book will be a hit with young patrons interested in firefighters or vehicles. Also, good for Firemen Storytime.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children will love this book about firefighters and firetrucks. It encourages lots of noisy interaction. Kids will focus with rapt attention while the firefighters receive a fire alarm. Characters rush to change into their uniforms and race to the fire with sirens wailing.

I quickly noticed with these illustrations that there is a glaring lack of multiculturalism. The inclusion of a woman firefighter is the only saving grace.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Random library shelf find. 3 yr old wants it read on repeat and is very interested in all things firefighter right now. The fact that I can read this on repeat and not be annoyed is definitely part of its five stars. I like the rhythm of the text and the illustrations are simple but cute. I like that it includes a female firefighter and that it talks about what happens after they respond to a fire too (cleaning the equipment, etc).

[E & E’s Mama · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for any toddler or preschoolers who enjoys firetrucks. It details their responsibilities in simple language. We are studying about the letter F this week and Elliot LOVES firetrucks , so I basically checked out every picture book about them!

*library book. Read at 23 months

[TJE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great firefigher book for any gender toddler. Shows thrilling rescue scene as well as before and after fire calls. Shorter than firefighter Fran so maybe easier for younger toddlers to attend to.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast paced day in the life of a firefighters. Danger is present so preschool and up even though the words are toddler and up.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and straightforward text with nice pictures, but (as with her police book) all the characters are white. For a 2007 copyright, I'm surprised.

[Terry]

See what our young listeners thought in the full review.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storytime:
Careers
Community Helpers
Color: Red

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of sound effects and bright, bold illustrations in this story of firefighters responding to an alarm, rescuing people, and putting out a fire.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This simple story will give young readers an idea of what firefighters do. Its rhythm and rhymes make it a good story time pick, if it is a little unmemorable.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that shows us many of the ways firefighters help others.

[Chelsea Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: This realtistic-fiction story for children, is a fast-paced book that brings its readers into the day of a fire-fighter. I really like the use of rhyming in the story, as well as the brightly colored illustrations that will be sure to suck in your younger readers. Overall, its a very cute and energetic story that would be appealing to boys and girls, and I really enjoyed it.

Content Areas: For this story, I would have a week where each day we get to read a story aloud that relates to different careers(firefighting, doctors, artist, etc,). And after that week we would have a type of "career day." Then, I would give students a writing prompt about what career they would choose(doesn't have to be from the books we read) and why they think they would like that career. Possibly allowing them to research that career as well, so they can give specific details to what the career entails and what they would/wouldn't like about their choice. So essentially, a fun creative writing assignment that allows them to choose something that interests them, and where there is no right/wrong answer.

Comprehension:
Q: How do you think the family felt when the fire-fighters came to save them? Why?
A: Relieved that they were out of danger and grateful to the fire-fighters for saving them.

Q: What lesson did you take away from this story?
A: Be grateful that we have people willing to risk their lives in order to save ours.

Wonders:
1. Do fire-fighters still use the bell?
2. Do they use Dalmations or other dogs for help still?

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Clang Clang Clang! Firefighters rush! Scurry! Down the pole. Slide! Hurry!” With those opening lines, preschoolers are launched into the fast-paced and often dangerous world of firefighters dashing to the rescue in Patricia Hubbell’s latest vehicle-themed picture book, Firefighters! Speeding! Spraying! Saving! Hubbell uses short, declarative phrases, rhyming text and lots of sound effects to convey the actions and urgency of firefighters as they perform their jobs. Straight-forward illustrations in primary colors complement the red of the fire engines and nicely depict the various types of equipment that firefighters use. Though the pictures rendered by illustrator Viviana Garafoli are not as stylized as in Hubbell’s previous books like Trucks and Cars, they do portray the sometimes scary tasks performed by firefighters in a palatable way. This book will be a hit with young patrons interested in firefighters or vehicles.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction/Twin Text Entry #5
The nonfiction book I chose was "Safe Kids Fire Safety," and the fiction book i chose to pair with it is titled, "Firefighters! Speeding! Spraying! Saving!" I chose to pair these two books because they both deal with fires and fire safety. In the nonfiction book they children would learn about how to be safe around a fire and how to prevent a fire from starting. The fiction book is about the firefighters and what happens when there is a fire. This is good for the children to see the relationship between fires and firefighters. It could teach the children that in case of a fire they don't need to be afraid of the firefighters that are coming to save them.

[Peggy Tibbetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the fire bell clangs, the firefighters are ready to go – even Spot the Dalmation. In rhyming text, author Patricia Hubbell tells the story of firefighters (male and female) racing to the scene of a flaming building. When they arrive, a daring rescue awaits them. All in a day’s work for the brave firefighters. Viviana Garofoli’s action-packed, vivid illustrations fill in the details of this exciting adventure. The pictures and story combine nicely to show and tell what firefighters do. “Firefighters!” will be a raging hit with pre-school and kindergarten boys – and girls. This is one they will want to read again and again. Also available in paperback, board book, and Kindle edition.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets 5 stars for being the only firefighter book I've ever seen where they don't rescue a cat (or other stranded animal)!
True they still have a dog but that's plausible in rural areas.
This book nicely depicts what Firefighters really do. Deal with cars that don't move to the right, rescue people by breaking windows, clean their own gear, and finally sit around and hangout till the alarm goes off again. Well done! I would own this one!

[Selene Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firefighters! Speeding! Spraying! Saving! Is a great book for pre school age children! The book tells the story of what firefighters go trough on a daily basis but in a very simple way! I really like that the author Patricia Hubbell set up the book kind of like a poem "Flames flare up into the sky. Aim that water, shoot it high" & the illustrator Viviana Garofoli does a great job with the pictures.

[Tammy Hanchett]

Illustrated by Viviana Garofoli
Marshall Cavendish Children, New York: 2007
ISBN# 978-0-7614-5337-6

This is a great book to read to a class during fire protection week. The illustrations and the rhyming text really show what a firefighter does durning a fire.

Grades: Pre-K- 3

Uses: Learn to read,Rhyming, Illustrations, Imagination, Awarness

[Denise Kettering · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little boy loves this book about firefighters complete with lots of sounds and simple illustrations. This covers the activities of the firefighters from receiving a call, putting out the fire, and returning to the fire station. Kids learn about firefighters' work and are also entertained by making all the sounds.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got a little kid who stops each time the firetruck speeds by, mouth open in awe? This is the book you need. Very cheerful- even the ash-covered rescued people seem into the whole fun fire thing. A sure-fire hit (ah, c'mon, I couldn't resist).

[D'Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this one because it includes a female fire fighter, the text has a good rhythm to it, and the book doesn't shy away from the actual job of firefighters. It includes a tall building on fire and people being rescued from inside. Gavin really dug this book. Respect.

[Sarah Stumphf · Rating 5 out of 5]

You could see the dawning realization on my 2 year old's face as he started understanding exactly what firefighters do as we read this little book. I think this book was pretty informative for children.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a firefighter book. Not the best - firmly in the middle of the pack. Contains the usual fire engine siren, firehouse dog, house fire, people rescuing, etc. etc.

Simplistic, cartoony illustrations.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty descriptive book about the day in the life of a firefighter. The rhyming is not forced. I would use this for preschool storytime.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of sound words. bright pictures. talks about their equipment, job, shows them saving lives.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book for the boy in love with trucks and firemen. Simple and says what it needs to. This would be a great read aloud for a community helpers unit. Ages 2+

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book features a female firefighter, which I'm always looking out for since we have a retired female firefighter/storytime mom!

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Explains what firefighters do in a more realistic way, without being scary.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations and story, Spencer loved this book.