Firefighters In The Dark

by Dashka Slater, Nicoletta Ceccoli (Illustrator)

While in bed at night, an imaginative child hears sirens from the nearby fire station and creates fantastic stories about what the firefighters are going to do.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Firefighters

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2006

About the author

Dashka Slater’s novel, The Wishing Box, was named one of the best books of the year by the Los Angeles Times, which called it “an impish novel, hopeful and full of humor.” She is the author of four acclaimed children's books: Baby Shoes; Firefighters in the Dark; The Sea Serpent and Me and Dangerously Ever After. She has two picture books forthcoming in 2017, as well as the much-anticipated Young Adult non-fiction narrative The 57 Bus.

Slater is also an award-winning journalist who has written for such publications as Newsweek, More, Salon, Mother Jones, Sierra, and The New York Times Magazine. The recipient of a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, she is currently working on new books for both children and adults. Learn more at www.dashkaslater.com.

Reviews

[Dashka · Rating 5 out of 5]

How thrilled I was to have Nicoletta Ceccoli illustrate this book. Isn't she amazing? I wrote this book when my son was obsessed with firefighters and have been gratified by how many other firefighter-obsessed kids have latched onto it -- one pair of twins even began calling themselves Bruce (both of them). This review is from Publisher's Weekly:

Slater and Ceccoli are ideally paired, with the incantatory rhythms of the prose mirroring the velvety surfaces and Zen-like vibe of the acrylic and pastel paintings. The result is a book that's both engrossing and lulling—a wonderfully offbeat choice for bedtime.

You can read more reviews, and find out about other books, at dashkaslater.com. And since this book is now, sadly, out of print, you can also go to my website to order copies directly from me, while supplies last. I'm happy to sign and personalize them before shipping.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

We originally borrowed this book from the library and ended up buying it for ourselves because of the beautifully illustrated drawings. It's about a little girl who hears sirens & makes up imaginative stories about how the fires get started and how the firefighters are going to put them out. The causes of the fires are whimsical (a woman in Mexico eats hot peppers and creates "fire flowers" that the firefighters have to put out), and the drawings hold the kiddos' attention. It's a bit long for a bedtime book but both my boys (5yrs/2.5yrs) enjoy this one

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is amazing. I cannot believe I never heard of this book before!

It's clearly a bedtime story, though you can read it at any time. The focus of the book isn't on firefighters in the typical way, it's on a little girl making up bedtime stories about where the firefighters near her go every night.

The illustrations, first off, are gorgeous. I would have wanted this book for the pictures alone. At one point, the girl says that the firefighters are never scared, and are as strong as tigers, and you can see how she turns the stripes on their uniforms into tiger stripes to finish the metaphor.

The story, though - wow. The author has managed to pretty much capture a kid's storytelling sense. The firefighters, in her mind, put out fires from a woman eating peppers in Mexico, or from a dragon trying to cool off his food in a castle. At one point, the firefighters (she pictures them as a diverse group, with two men and two women, a nice touch) save a boy who jumps all the way to Mars. "You can't go to Mars like that, you need a spacesuit and your mittens!"

It's such a simple story, but beautifully told and illustrated. You're missing out if you don't immediately run and purchase this for your library. Don't have kids? Get it for yourself! Get it for a local school! Just get it.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, I hated this book. But AJ wanted to read it at every bedtime.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

We checked this book out from the library and have renewed it the maximum number of times twice because my kids love it so much, and because *I* love reading it to much. It’s part surrealist fantasy and part firefighter adventure bedtime story, and the illustrations are fantastic. Just overall love this book.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young girl who lives near a fire station conjures up fantastic stories as she listens from her bedroom at night as the firefighters respond from their station to the incidents.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. 3 year old liked it

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother's a firefighter so I have a habit of flipping through all the firefighter-themed children's books that come through the library. This one is mostly silly, but it's the perfect kind of silly. The part with the firefighters playing with bubbles in the bath was enough to make me check the book out and make my brother read it over the holidays. :)

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, whimsical book featuring a girl who lives near a fire station and imagines fantastical scenarios that call the firefighters out in the night. I liked the adventurous main character, the racially and gender- diverse group of firefighters, and the imaginative scenarios. The ending felt kind of abrupt.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At night, a girl hears the sirens from the fire station near her house.
Even though it is dark outside, she knows where they are going: to a castle, to a garden, all the way to Pluto . . .

Dashka Slater and Nicoletta Ceccoli have crafted a dreamy ode to firefighters everywhere and the big, brave, spectacular feats they accomplish every day, and every night—all the world over.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ethereal illustrations and fantastic, tall tale stories create a dream-like environment for this story. A creative and inventive little girl makes up a narrative for the sirens and sounds she hears outside her window. Great for bedtime reading.

[Katherine Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first picture book I've read that makes me think "magical realism." It feels like reading Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Real facts about firefighters are mixed with imaginative journeys, and the illustrations add to the delight.

[Relyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

ICK! What a icky book. As I read this one I found myself thinking, "How do these things get published?" Not even Ceccoli's illustrations could redeem it.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disliked this book, kept wondering when it was going to be over so I could stop reading it to my son! Only read it once and it was back to the library!! Thought it was pretty strange.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle and imaginative pictures. I thought my 2.5 year old would be scared of the fire pictures, but she wasn't. I think it's because she has no concept of fire yet.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spectacular bedtime story for boys and girls who love firefighters.

[Jaimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl dreams about all the reasons fire fighters have to go out out fires! Its an imaginative story great for young adventurous readers.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly imaginative prose for a children's book, and very colorful, stylized illustrations.

[Kimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations and my kids (3 & 5) hung on to every word of this story. I loved the energy of this story and the imagination of the little girl telling the stories in this book.