Firehouse!

by Mark Teague

A firehouse with loads of laughs from bestselling author/illustrator Mark Teague.

Join Edward and his cousin Judy as they spend a hilarious day learning how to be firefighters. From a fire drill that leads to a slippery slide down a fire pole, to a hysterical battle with an out-of-control fire hose, Edward is in for an action-packed adventure. And when faced with a real emergency, it's Edward who saves the day!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Dogs, Firefighters, Animals, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Mark Teague has delighted young readers with more than 20 picture books, and he has written many of them himself, including the popular Pigsty, Baby Tamer, and One Halloween Night. He is also the illustrator of Cynthia Rylant's beloved Poppleton series for beginning readers and the best-selling books by Jane Yolen, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight and How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon.

Mark Teague's life changed when he moved from San Diego to New York City and he planted the seed for his first picture book, The Trouble with the Johnsons. Each of Teague's books start as "notebooks full of sketches and scribbles, strange little drawings and phrases that suddenly come together," Teague explains. And although he had no formal writing training, his endless imagination and understanding nature gives him a permanent place in the hearts of everyone.

Mark and his wife live in Coxsackie, New York, with their young daughter Lily, who has a great time watching her dad paint the pictures in his books.

Reviews

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 2 out of 5]

5* art - awesome colours and perspectives
2* story

[Kayla]

In this book. Edward and his friend Judy want to know what it is like to be a firefighter. They both go to the fire station and the fire chief shows them around. She informs them that later in the day they will be having a fire drill. They begin washing the truck and doing a few other household chores. When it comes time for the drill, Edward climes up the ladder and gets nervous to come down. They then get a real call, a kitten it stuck up in a tree. Edward then volunteers to get the kitten and once he does everyone cheers for him.

I think this book is super cute. I love how it talks about how important a firefighter is and that they are lifesavers. It teaches kids what exactly a firefighter does in a day. Their calls do not always have to with a fire.

I would use this book in a preschool or kindergarten classroom. I remember taking a field trip to the fire station when i was little. If I was given that opportunity to do that with my students, I would read this book before we went so they would have an idea of what a firefighter is and how they do their job.

[Caleb Ensminger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a dog named Edward who wants to be a firefighter when he gets older. One day Edward's mom takes him to the firestation. At the forestation Edward gets to experience the everyday life of a firefighter. He goes through things like cleaning the truck and a fire drill. Edward then started to realize that being a firefighter was harder than it seems when he had to climb up the latter, that scared him a little bit. They then went back for lunch and had a real fire drill. There was a cat stuck up in the tree and Edward ended up being brave and rescuing the cat, he saved the day. I would use this book in a classroom when asking kids what they want to be when they grow up. I would then read this book and tell them to follow their dreams just like Edward did.

I thought this was a pretty good book. I feel like young readers would enjoy reading this and seeing what its like to be a firefighter. I feel like this book could motivate young students to be brave and dream big. I could see this being a book in my classroom library.

[Jenna Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward and his friend Judy go to visit their local fire station because they want to become fire fighters. They are shown around the fire house. they see where the fire truck stays, where they sleep, and much more. They are told the daily tasks that the firefighters do and they want to be apart of them. So they started washing the fire truck. While doing this, the fire alarm goes off and everyone rushes to get int their uniform and get out the door as quick as possible. Edward volunteers to save the kitten that is stuck in a tree and they bring it back to the station with them.

I enjoyed this book. It creates a fun story since it is not using people, but using animals. It is great in showing the importance of what firefighters do.

I can be used in preschool to early elementary classroom. It can be used on career day or when talking about the people who keep us safe in our own communities.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because Edward has his heart set on becoming a firefighter, he and his friend Judy visit the station and see how everything works up close and personal. He even has the chance to accompany the firefighters during a fire drill and during the real deal. The brightly-colored illustrations and board book format make this one a good choice for young readers who may enjoy finding the mice in the pictures and laughing at how hard firefighting turns out to be for Edward, who just might need to rethink his future career aspirations. Then again, being a hero has a way of making someone forget about the hard parts of a job.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the story play version which has different activities and questions spread throughout the book. This is a simple story about a boy (dog) who gets to visit the firehouse and help with a rescue. Use in a community helpers unit.

I like his cute doggie illustrations.

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

so the biggest thing the firefighters do in this book is save a cat from a tree. Wish they would have shown them battling a fire but I guess practicing is good enough

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of a dog who wants to be a fire fighter. He spends the day at the firehouse and makes a daring rescue of a kitten in a tree.

[Haaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the illustrations much more than the story.

[Rebecca Simonin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how this copy has questions along the way to keep kids engaged in the text and making text to self/world connections.

[Sabrina Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book held my PreK students’ attention, but I thought it was just okay.

[Breanna Leonard]

I think this is an adorable little book. The dalmatian firefighters go through their day and the other dog followed along and experienced the life of a firefighter. I like how the dalmatians were the firefighters, that just makes it more kid friendly in my opinion. I like how the illustrations fill the whole spread so the pictures can tell more of the story than the words. The sentences were short and easy to read, great for early or new readers. I would use this book in my classroom library expand kids interest in different careers.

[Megan Cureton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Teague is becoming one of my favorite children's authors. I love how well he does explaining things in children’s terms that they can understand. Edward and cousin Judy decided to visit a fire house and spent the day learning how to be firefighters. Some of the things they got to do consisted of sliding down fire poles, putting out a fire, and then even getting to eat a big meal at the fire house. They got to tag along and do everything a firefighter does throughout the day. But the best part of the story was when the firefighters got a call that there was a kitten stuck in a tree. Edward comes to the rescue and climbs up the latter and retrieves the kitten from the tree and saves the day. I thought this book would be a good book to read aloud to a kindergarten classroom. I feel like this book would tie in well during career week, or if you have a week where you discuss the different types of job opportunities there is for them when they grow up, with this one focusing on what the life of a firefighter consists of. Students will be able to fully understand what all is expected of a firefighter, and maybe find some stuff out about firemen that they might not have known about, or they might not have known that the fireman was expected to do all kinds of different things, not just putting out fires. I thought the illustrations were nice and went along with the story well. They were big and bold and captured the reader’s attention. I thought the parade at the end of the book to celebrate Edward was very nice and I feel like the students would like that ending and be excited for Edward. For an activity afterward, we could make fire hats and color fire trucks. We could also write down new facts about firemen that we learned from the book to add to our knowledge about firemen.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book both written and illustrated by mark Teague that we have read as a family. It is always interesting approaching a book written by an illustrator that you know from other books and series. You cannot help but have some preconceived ideas. Mark is part of the duo that has created the very popular 'How do dinosaurs …" series. This was a fun read. The illustrations are wonderful and the story is entertaining. Children love the book and will ask for it to be read many times. In this book we join Edward and his cousin Judy as they spend the day at the fire station. They want to learn to be firefighters. Their adventure includes a fire drill and a real emergency. A great read for the family or in the classroom.

Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know it's a picture book and it's designed and written for little kids, but I didn't care for this book much. The writing was a little weird, and it gives kids unrealistic (and unsafe) expectations for when they visit a fire station. I also thought the illustrations were a little weird. I also feel like a remember a few sections where the language the author used isn't how they refer to things in the real world... Whatever. I read it to my nephews in Barnes and Noble today, and, although I don't think they loved it, they didn't seem to mind it. (one of the Mercer Mayer Little Critter books went over much better.)

[Tolkiengirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a firehouse of dogs. My kids enjoyed the pictures and story.

My scale:
1 star: Strongly dislike. Likely did not finish the book and would not recommend.
2 stars: Blah, boring, or mostly disliked. I would likely not recommend.
3 stars: Solid book choice. I enjoyed reading and would likely recommend.
4 stars: Great book. Would recommend.
5 stars: Life changing. Would highly recommend.

[Angel Lederhause · Rating 5 out of 5]

very well written.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What preschool doesn't love books about firefighters and trucks? A fun read, with lots of action, humorous illustrations, and a nice story. I love that all of the firefighters are Dalmatian dogs and that the fire-chief is a female dog. Hidden mice dressed as firefighters provides a fun hide-and-seek aspect to the story. Not anything astonishingly new, but a solid addition for preschoolers.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Young fans of Mark Teague's character Edward, introduced in Funny Farm, will enjoy his latest adventures as he visits a firehouse with his cousin Judy. The text itself is rather flat, but Teague's wonderful illustrations make this a fun book to read and explore. Sure to be popular with youngsters who enjoy stories featuring firefighters.

[The Book Maven · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is, I am sad to say, a distinctly underwhelming picture book that depicts Edward the Dog's visit to the firehouse and experiences with the firefighters. Other than the inclusion of females as firefighters (in fact, the book makes it a point to identify Mrs. Speckle the fire chief) there's not much too remarkable about this story or its illustrations--nothing that distinguishes it.

[Grillables · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a particular fan of this book, but the 2yo loves it. It reads like a disjointed wish list of things a 2yo obsessed with fire trucks/firemen would want to do, from visiting the firehouse to participating in fire drills, rescuing a kitten in a tree, and being the hero of a celebratory parade. Does it make sense? Nope. Does the kid still want to be Edward, the (dog) protagonist? Yup.

[Scott Roark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for students that have an interest in firehouses, firefighters, etc. Allows for a great imagination for students to pretend all the firefighters are dogs. Teachers could have students add-on to the ending by having a sequel to the ending.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for young readers and those who love fire trucks and fire fighters. The story itself is quite simple... Edward spends a day at the firehouse seeing what fire fighters do. But the illustrations show that more is going on.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice basic story about how a firehouse runs and what fireman do. We might use this for our summer program. "Dream Big' theme, when we have our local fire department come to our library. We are teaching the kids to dream big. Be a firefighter, astronaut, painter, teacher etc .

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward and his cousin Judy spend the day learning how to be firefighters. It's an action packed day with real emergencies. Edward and Judy have a unique way of saving the day. The illustrations are very vivid. Don't be surprised if you catch yourself chuckling throughout the book.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great firefighter theme book. My vehicles/firefighter kid loved this one. I don't think the story in itself is all that interesting, but the Teague illustrations are bold and bright and the story is simple and totally to the point.

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather typical firehouse story - only this time all the characters are dogs. Edward visits the firehouse and desperately wants to be a fireman. He helps the local crew do a variety of fireman-related tasks, including rescuing a cat from a tree.

Okay illustrations.

[Kevin Huot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about the drill that a firefighter goes through. I enjoyed this book because of the comedic ways that it showed how it was done. I would use this book to show younger kids that even an ordinary person can achieve what they want most of the time.

[Caryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Teague's illustrations - the text is simple and it's the pictures that really tell the story.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of the "dog as people". I read another one of the series with Edward the dog on the farm, so I should pay more attention because it creeps me out.