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Stanley's Fire Engine
It's another busy day for Stanley and friends!
Stanley keeps his fire engine in tip-top condition. It needs to be ready for anything. It has a tall ladder, a big water tank, and a long hose. Uh-oh. The fire station has a phone call: Charlie's barbecue is out of control. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Out of the way! Stanley's on the job!
With bright illustrations, adorable characters, and a padded-cover format, William Bee's Stanley series is perfect for readers transitioning from board books to picture books.
Stanley keeps his fire engine in tip-top condition. It needs to be ready for anything. It has a tall ladder, a big water tank, and a long hose. Uh-oh. The fire station has a phone call: Charlie's barbecue is out of control. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Out of the way! Stanley's on the job!
With bright illustrations, adorable characters, and a padded-cover format, William Bee's Stanley series is perfect for readers transitioning from board books to picture books.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
30 people want to read
About the author
William Bee
70 books55 followersWilliam Bee was born in London but now lives in the English countryside. In addition to writing children’s books, he races a vintage sports car, is an international skier, and when at home tends his lawns and meadows.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 3, 2020
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...
STANLEY'S FIRE ENGINE is an adorable picture book that follows a day in the life of Stanley the Firefighter. Stanley must keep his fire engine in tip-top shape so that he can do things like help Little Woo out of a tree with his tall ladder, help Charles when his barbecue gets out of control with his very long hose, and supervise the fireworks show. He finishes his day with dinner, a bath, and then bedtime.
What I loved: The Stanley series is so fantastic for toddlers with recognizable characters, simple stories, and brightly colored illustrations. The amount of text on each page is perfect for short attention spans, and the delightful illustrations are simple but with enough detail to keep children engaged. It is so helpful for toddlers and preschoolers to have characters they recognize across books, and I love that these adorable animals (e.g. Stanley, Little Woo) appear in multiple books. Toddlers will be excited to see familiar faces in new situations.
Whether a child is already a fan of firefighters or not yet, this story is filled with helping other people and having fun, while also getting the work done and taking care of his fire engine. There is also some extra fun with a page you turn to see the tall ladder and a padded cover that it makes it a fun book to snuggle up with. The font is nice and large, making it easy to read aloud, and the repetition of words combined with simple phrasing are perfect for a young audience.
Final verdict: This book is a perfect way to talk about firefighting and sequential events. With bright colors, simple phrasing, and delightful characters, STANLEY'S FIRE ENGINE is another slam-dunk from this charming series. Highly recommend for toddlers and preschoolers.
Please note that I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
STANLEY'S FIRE ENGINE is an adorable picture book that follows a day in the life of Stanley the Firefighter. Stanley must keep his fire engine in tip-top shape so that he can do things like help Little Woo out of a tree with his tall ladder, help Charles when his barbecue gets out of control with his very long hose, and supervise the fireworks show. He finishes his day with dinner, a bath, and then bedtime.
What I loved: The Stanley series is so fantastic for toddlers with recognizable characters, simple stories, and brightly colored illustrations. The amount of text on each page is perfect for short attention spans, and the delightful illustrations are simple but with enough detail to keep children engaged. It is so helpful for toddlers and preschoolers to have characters they recognize across books, and I love that these adorable animals (e.g. Stanley, Little Woo) appear in multiple books. Toddlers will be excited to see familiar faces in new situations.
Whether a child is already a fan of firefighters or not yet, this story is filled with helping other people and having fun, while also getting the work done and taking care of his fire engine. There is also some extra fun with a page you turn to see the tall ladder and a padded cover that it makes it a fun book to snuggle up with. The font is nice and large, making it easy to read aloud, and the repetition of words combined with simple phrasing are perfect for a young audience.
Final verdict: This book is a perfect way to talk about firefighting and sequential events. With bright colors, simple phrasing, and delightful characters, STANLEY'S FIRE ENGINE is another slam-dunk from this charming series. Highly recommend for toddlers and preschoolers.
Please note that I received a review copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
September 19, 2024
The vertical page appears to add excitement for the high place adventures.
Poor Charlie and his BBQ!
The fireworks and lanterns are so pretty, especially using the nighttime paints.
Poor Charlie and his BBQ!
The fireworks and lanterns are so pretty, especially using the nighttime paints.
November 4, 2020
Young boys will love the Stanley’s Fire Engine. Stanley does a variety of jobs, all to help his friends. Young boys, and some girls, will enjoy seeing Stanley as a first responder. In the fire station, Stanley works with Peggy to keep the fire equipment clean and ready for any emergency. The fire engine has “very long ladders.” One of the ladders require a vertical spread because it reaches so high up. Stanley stands on its rungs while Peggy works the controls.
Along with keeping the fire equipment clean and in working order, Stanley once again sets a good example while helping his friends. He puts out the fire at Charlie’s annual barbeque, cools friends off with a spray of water, rescues Little Woo and his teddy from a tall tree, and oversees a fireworks show (in case of an accident). At the end of Stanley’s busy day, he returns home and follows his normal nighttime routine he follows in every story of the series: dinner, a bath, and bed; making Stanley’s stories perfect bedtime reading for toddlers transitioning from board books to picture books.
The illustrations are basic with large, easy to recognize objects, separated by solid black lines, which deepen the colors (primary and secondary colors are used). Good use of white space helps a child focus on the images. The Stanley books are a great choice for story-time. The illustrations, thanks to those black lines, are easy to see from a short distance. Taken as a whole, Mr. Bee again gives the reader a lovely, clean presentation.
The text is simple with a few complex words related to fire engines (firefighting is actually absent from Stanley’s Fire Engine). Repetition (“the very long ladders” and “the VERY long hoses”) and onomatopoeia are used to help children remember words and items. The fire engine bell sounds, “CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!” warning others to “GET OUT OF THE WAY!”
Young children will enjoy learning about Stanley and his interests and occupations. After reading Stanley’s Fire Engine, the 9th picture book in the Stanley Series (of picture books and board books), they will wonder what Stanley has done and what he will do in the future. Stanley has been a builder, farmer, and mailman. He has run a diner, school, garage, store, and train.
Stanley has more adventures on the way for young children to eagerly await. In 2020, Willian Bee and Peachtree introduced Stanley’s Paint Box and Stanley’s Tool Box (both in the board book series).
Along with keeping the fire equipment clean and in working order, Stanley once again sets a good example while helping his friends. He puts out the fire at Charlie’s annual barbeque, cools friends off with a spray of water, rescues Little Woo and his teddy from a tall tree, and oversees a fireworks show (in case of an accident). At the end of Stanley’s busy day, he returns home and follows his normal nighttime routine he follows in every story of the series: dinner, a bath, and bed; making Stanley’s stories perfect bedtime reading for toddlers transitioning from board books to picture books.
The illustrations are basic with large, easy to recognize objects, separated by solid black lines, which deepen the colors (primary and secondary colors are used). Good use of white space helps a child focus on the images. The Stanley books are a great choice for story-time. The illustrations, thanks to those black lines, are easy to see from a short distance. Taken as a whole, Mr. Bee again gives the reader a lovely, clean presentation.
The text is simple with a few complex words related to fire engines (firefighting is actually absent from Stanley’s Fire Engine). Repetition (“the very long ladders” and “the VERY long hoses”) and onomatopoeia are used to help children remember words and items. The fire engine bell sounds, “CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!” warning others to “GET OUT OF THE WAY!”
Young children will enjoy learning about Stanley and his interests and occupations. After reading Stanley’s Fire Engine, the 9th picture book in the Stanley Series (of picture books and board books), they will wonder what Stanley has done and what he will do in the future. Stanley has been a builder, farmer, and mailman. He has run a diner, school, garage, store, and train.
Stanley has more adventures on the way for young children to eagerly await. In 2020, Willian Bee and Peachtree introduced Stanley’s Paint Box and Stanley’s Tool Box (both in the board book series).
November 2, 2022
This book is the perfect introduction to firefighters for the youngest children. Bright, bold illustrations punctuate simple, straight-forward, age-appropriate text with both authenticity and some humor. The scariest parts of firefighting are left aside. Going to extinguish a barbecue and supervise the fireworks is just enough for this age group to absorb. Highly recommend, especially for those who enjoy Spot, Maisy, and Byron Barton titles.
August 24, 2020
We have been collecting the Stanley books for years and it is such a privilege to have the chance to review this one. Firefighters and fireworks are both major points of interest for my almost-3-year-old daughter, so this book is pretty much guaranteed to be a favorite. There is a good mix in this story of information about firetrucks and scenes with each of the supporting characters readers have met in previous books, including the much-beloved Little Woo. Bee's usual sense of humor is at play (the need for a fire truck at Charlie's annual barbecue got a chuckle out of me), and also his use of illustrations to convey more than what the text tells us. Stanley's Fire Engine is one of my favorites out of all the titles in this series.
October 11, 2020
Stanley is back and he and his friends take us through a day in the life of a firefighter. The crew works hard to maintain their equipment and then get called out several times. First they rescue a critter stuck in a tree using their very tall ladder and then put out flames at a barbecue using their very long hose. Finally, they provide a safety watch at a fireworks show. Long day, and Stanley falls into bed exhausted. Big bright illustrations will hold the interest of even the youngest readers and story time audiences. A beginning independent reader will love the simple, large text. Wonderful addition to an October Fire Safety Month story time or library display.
June 5, 2020
A sweet addition the the Stanley Series. These books are so perfect for toddlers and this one is one of my favorites so far. The text is brief but engaging. The topics, like this one on fire engines, are tailored for this age group. The pictures are bright and full of things to look at and label. In this one Stanley has a busy day full of long hoses, tall ladders and even fireworks. A happy, interesting book for kids who love fire engines or this adorable hamster.
December 2, 2020
I liked that you have to tip the book to its side at one point to see the length of a ladder. I was confused about "Little Woos" stuck up in a tree. The hoses illustrated are a bit thin for my liking and the image where children are getting sprayed doesn't quite show the water power that can come from a fire hose. The fireworks page was very vibrant. I think that Stanley and firefighter fans will like this book, but it may be a miss for others. Thank you to Peachtree Publishing Company for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
December 6, 2021
Another picture book about Stanley the hardworking hamster. This time Stanley works at the Fire Station. He is busy taking care of the fire engine and helping his friends with their minor emergencies. The large, colorful illustrations and cozy text will make this a popular introduction to an important community helper.
Read
June 7, 2020Just in time for Fire Safety Month comes Stanley's Fire Engine, a cute, bright picture book that introduces firefighters to the youngest readers. While it's not super informative, it's darling and appropriate for toddlers. Fans of Stanley's other adventures are sure to enjoy this one, as well.
September 9, 2020
Stanley's latest diversion -- he is a fireman! Along with Peggy, they take good care of their firetruck and go on exciting adventures. Delightful as always. I can't wait to see what Stanley does next.
August 17, 2020
A new addition to this series that will please fans of Stanley and his pals.
Read
October 3, 2020A beautiful exploration of
a fire engine with action
& sound words!
a fire engine with action
& sound words!
October 25, 2020
Stanley helps put out fires and later watches fireworks with friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2020
Both Stanley fans and fans of fire trucks are going to be thrilled with this charming book.
January 7, 2021
I love how William Bee shows that Firefighters are our friends and are there to help us.
March 16, 2021
I received an arc of this book from the publisher in a giveaway.
Cute, fun, and simple. Great for preschoolers.
Cute, fun, and simple. Great for preschoolers.
April 29, 2021
meh. cute pictures, bleh story
November 1, 2021
Another cute book in the Stanley series. Perfect for any youngster in your life.
January 3, 2022
2yo cannot get enough of Stanley
January 12, 2022
firefighter storytime
Stanley storytime
Stanley storytime
May 13, 2022
Adorable book about Stanley’s fire truck. This book is for very young toddlers and babies who love fire trucks!
June 14, 2022
Stanley the Guinea pig is ADORABLE!
May 29, 2024
“I like when he was squirting the hose. The pictures were pretty. I love his firetruck. I want one. I’m going in one one day.” - Luke
July 1, 2024
Yes!! Just yes.
June 6, 2020
A new book in the ongoing series about Stanley and his friends this time working in a fire station. The pictures are simple with a lot to look at and keep the attention of young readers. Everything a child would want about a fire engine and station is here to captivate with a straightforward presentation of art and words that would intrigue any young child.
October 15, 2025
Okay. short, so much better for littles.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews