Review by Booklist Review
Ages 2^-5. Children fascinated by fire fighters will find plenty to please them in this large-format picture book, in part, because Demarest knows the subject firsthand: he's a member of a volunteer fire department. As the title suggests, the text is arranged alphabetically, beginning with "A is for Alarm that rings loud and clear. / B is for Boots stowed in our bunker gear." Though the rhyming verse is less satisfying than the dramatic artwork, the simplicity of the text makes this picture book accessible to kids young enough to be excited about fire engines. The large-scale, deeply colored pictures, ablaze with yellows and orange-reds, show broad scenes, such as two firefighters knocking down a wall and closer views, such as a firefighter's hand using a "kool-tool" to open a door. In three appended pages of notes, he discusses fire fighting and explains some aspects of the text. A colorful, dramatic introduction that future firefighters will adore. --Carolyn Phelan
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Demarest takes a different approach to the subject in this rhyming alphabet book. Despite the simplicity of the format, a great deal of information is conveyed in the one line of text per page. While the author's note at the end elaborates on how a "K-tool" works and how "sounding" is done, the rhymes themselves are natural and meaningful. "G is for Go as we race at full speed./H is for Hoses and Hydrants we need." The bold pastel illustrations are dramatic and convey the action in an appealing manner. Karen Magnuson Beil's Fire in Their Eyes (Harcourt, 1999) uses full-color photographs for a more realistic portrayal of her subject. Nevertheless, Firefighters is sure to spark the interest of young enthusiasts.-Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool) Along with cowboy and princess, firefighter is one of the things that young children want to be when they grow up but tend to forget about once they ""mature."" There's nothing babyish or cute about the robust, action-oriented pastel artwork in Firefighters A to Z, an exciting alphabet book detailing what happens from the time the alarm sounds at the fire station to the final ""zip into bed for a rest"" once the blaze has been extinguished. Even the Dalmatian-""a firehouse must""-has a no- nonsense look in its eye. Permeated with intense primary colors, the images build on one another to convey the physical nature of this dramatic but serious job. The firefighters themselves, in their bulky yellow suits and oxygen masks, appear straight out of science fiction, but the smoothly rhyming text grounds their activities in reality as they battle to get a house fire under control. Always readers are made aware of the dangers the firefighters face, whether they are shown crouching at the bottom of a smoke-obscured stairway in ""I is for inside. Start the primary search"" or standing astride a smoldering opening in the floor with a ""P is for Pickax to make the holes wide."" In the author's note, Demarest reveals that he is a volunteer firefighter, which adds to the book's authentic feel. He goes on to give a little more background on the terms he depicted in the main text, letting kids know that there's a lot more to being a firefighter than simply donning a red helmet and sliding down a pole. c.m.h. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Demarest (The Cowboy ABC, 1999, etc.), a volunteer firefighter himself, pays tribute to the intrepid men and women who do it professionally. Matching big, boldface captions to boldly brushed scenes of yellow-suited, heroically posed figures in action, he focuses less on truck and gear than on the dangerous work itself: "I is for Inside. Start the primary search. / J is for Jump if you feel the floor lurch ." The author opens with a labeled sketch of a firefighter in full battle array, explains special terms in an afterword, and in between sends a company zooming through busy city streets to face a raging house fire. Parts of this will be new even to avid young fans of the occupation and its trappings; and though there are no specific cautions, the underlying message about the importance of fire safety will not go astray. (author's note) (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
