Fireman Small

Wow, when I bought "Fireman Small" last year for my 5 year old, I knew it would be a hit with him (something about small boys and fire trucks...), and indeed it was. But I was completely unprepared for the ferocity with which his 19-month old sister loves this book as well. We read "Small" (her word for it) several times a day. The beautifully-rhymed text holds her attention and we have a great time chanting it all together. I think she is particularly pleased at the end when poor Fireman Small finally gets his well-deserved rest after a busy day of rescuing cats from trees, baby bunnies from wells, and putting out an actual fire. My 5 year old knows the words by heart, and we often sing a snatch or two of the refrain at odd times during the day (which, of course, prompts the little one to get the book and demand a complete reading). Warning -- this book will get into your skull too! I am looking for more books by Wong Herbert Yee, and I expect them to be just as charming and wonderful.

My 2 1/2 yr old son loves this book about a diminutive firefighter who lives by the bay. There's just enough rescuing and extinguishing to satisfy his obsession with firefighters, yet the book avoids the didactic, detail-laden, wooden tone of so many books for young children about this topic. The rhyming, repetitive text makes this a nice bedtime book, and the lovely, folk-art-ish pictures are a great complement to the text.

At our house we usually borrow books out of the library. When the book becomes a favorite, we buy the book for our home collection. Fireman Small is one of those favorite books. Both my son and daughter love it. The repetitive phrase, "He rolled up into Station Number Nine, walked upstairs two steps at a time..." is soothing to small ones. Each time he comes back to the station, his room gets messier and messier. Finally at the end, his friends ring the bell one last time to thank him for all his help and he finally gets to rest! You won't regret buying it. The illustrations are just average though.

When my infant became a mobile toddler and developed the attention span of a gnat, I missed the cozy fun of reading him stories. But for Fireman Small he'll cuddle on my lap and listen to the fun, catchy rhymes...and usually ask to hear it again. The repetitive rhyme ("Closes the curtains, gets in bed, And pulls the covers over his head") makes it a wonderful wind-down book at the end of the day.

Too many rhyming children's books make no sense, but this one combines a simple start and finish plus an identifiable plot (story). I know this book is great because it holds the attention of our one-year old son better than any other book. I believe this is due to the simple rhymes and animation required by the adult to read the book outloud properly. The bottom line...our one-year old child loves this book!