What do you think?
Rate this book
Dolores and the Big Fire : A True Story
Dolores and the Big Fire
Dolores is a very timid cat. Her owner, Kyle, keeps a light on all night so she won't be scared. One night Dolores pokes at Kyle's face while he is sleeping. The house is on fire! Can Dolores wake Kyle up in time?
32 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2002
About the author
Andrew Clements
140 books2,250 followersI was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1949 and lived in Oaklyn and Cherry Hill until the middle of sixth grade. Then we moved to Springfield, Illinois. My parents were avid readers and they gave that love of books and reading to me and to all my brothers and sisters. I didn’t think about being a writer at all back then, but I did love to read. I'm certain there's a link between reading good books and becoming a writer. I don't know a single writer who wasn’t a reader first.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
Before moving to Illinois, and even afterwards, our family spent summers at a cabin on a lake in Maine. There was no TV there, no phone, no doorbell—and email wasn’t even invented. All day there was time to swim and fish and mess around outside, and every night, there was time to read. I know those quiet summers helped me begin to think like a writer.
During my senior year at Springfield High School my English teacher handed back a poem I’d written. Two things were amazing about that paper. First, I’d gotten an A—a rare event in this teacher’s class. And she’d also written in large, scrawly red writing, “Andrew—this poem is so funny. This should be published!”
That praise sent me off to Northwestern University feeling like I was a pretty good writer, and occasionally professors there also encouraged me and complimented the essays I was required to write as a literature major. But I didn’t write much on my own—just some poetry now and then. I learned to play guitar and began writing songs, but again, only when I felt like it. Writing felt like hard work—something that’s still true today.
After the songwriting came my first job in publishing. I worked for a small publisher who specialized in how-to books, the kind of books that have photos with informative captions below each one. The book in which my name first appeared in print is called A Country Christmas Treasury. I’d built a number of the projects featured in the book, and I was listed as one of the “craftspeople”on the acknowlegements page, in tiny, tiny type.
In 1990 I began trying to write a story about a boy who makes up a new word. That book eventually became my first novel, Frindle, published in 1996, and you can read the whole story of how it developed on another web site, frindle.com. Frindle became popular, more popular than any of my books before or since—at least so far. And it had the eventual effect of turning me into a full-time writer.
I’ve learned that I need time and a quiet place to think and write. These days, I spend a lot of my time sitting in a small shed about seventy feet from my back door at our home in Massachusetts. There’s a woodstove in there for the cold winters, and an air conditioner for the hot summers. There’s a desk and chair, and I carry a laptop computer back and forth. But there’s no TV, no phone, no doorbell, no email. And the woodstove and the pine board walls make the place smell just like that cabin in Maine where I spent my earliest summers.
Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is a good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word. And growing up, it's the same way. We just have to go to that next class, read that next chapter, help that next person. You simply have to do that next good thing, and before you know it, you're living a good life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 8, 2012
True story about a cat who saves her owner's life during a fire. We had a similar situation occur recently. One night my mother-in-law fell asleep after putting some food to cook on the stove. Our dog got antsy when the food was starting to burn and she wouldn't leave my hubby alone until he got up and discovered the smoking pan. She recognized the danger before the smoke detectors did. Luckily for us, it wasn't anything more serious than that, but we were thankful for an alert pup.
The narrative in this story is simple and endearing. The illustrations are good and help tell the story. It's certainly a good book for pet lovers and young readers will love the fact that it's a true story. Our girls read this on their own and I read it today as I was putting it in our bag to return to the library. Although I vaguely remember this book, I'm not sure when or if I've read it before. In any case, it was a worthwhile story and we all liked it.
The narrative in this story is simple and endearing. The illustrations are good and help tell the story. It's certainly a good book for pet lovers and young readers will love the fact that it's a true story. Our girls read this on their own and I read it today as I was putting it in our bag to return to the library. Although I vaguely remember this book, I'm not sure when or if I've read it before. In any case, it was a worthwhile story and we all liked it.
March 14, 2016
Dolores was always a shy cat and never really wanted to be held. One day there was a fire and she went and woke up her owner by scratching him on the nose. In this way she saved him, but Dolores was badly hurt by the fire. For days she appeared as if she might die. When she finally came to, she was a new kitty and enjoyed being held and loved by her owner. Another in the pets to the rescue series of easy readers, level 1.
March 18, 2016
Dolores was always a shy cat and never really wanted to be held. One day there was a fire and she went and woke up her owner by scratching him on the nose. In this way she saved him, but Dolores was badly hurt by the fire. For days she appeared as if she might die. When she finally came to, she was a new kitty and enjoyed being held and loved by her owner. Another in the pets to the rescue series of easy readers, level 1.
February 23, 2017
Based on a true story, this is an easy to read story about a fearful cat who saves her owner's life. It is a little sad because the cat suffers from the fire, but young independent readers enjoy reading about this brave hero cat.
April 29, 2021
Kyle lives with his kitten, Dolores. Dolores is a timid cat but Kyle takes good care of her. One night Kyle wakes up to Dolores scratching his head. The house is on fire and smoke has filled the room. Will they get out in time? This is a heartwarming true story sure to please animal lovers.
June 18, 2009
This story is so sweet.
July 24, 2024
This is a beautiful story by a favorite author. A seemingly apathetic cat helps a man to get out of the house during a fire. The true story is very emotional!
October 22, 2015
Kyle's pandering to his cat's fear of the dark isn't very sustainable.
Want to Read
May 1, 2008I have a cat that is this breed, so I am of course wanting a children's book with a kitty that looks like mine in it! Cool!
March 10, 2011
Okay, but not as riveting as Brave Norman.
September 22, 2011
I guess I'm just a curmudgeon but this seemed sad rather than heart warming. Just didn't get into it. Dylan didn't seem impressed either.
Read
December 8, 2011Great beginning reader. Also teaches about empathy and the will to survive along with love above all else.
December 31, 2014
Cat lovers at this house thought this was a sweet, true story. Great beginning reader book.
June 12, 2014
I cried when I read this! Not the best art but so touching. Not for the faint hearted child
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews