The Fire

I was at first hesitant to read this book to my three and a half year old son. He is fascinated by firemen, and very curious about some fires in our neighborhood. But as a child I was deathly afraid of our house burning down. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to the concept of home fires... it is so warm and inviting in its humanity. The illustrations have a velvety texture that glows. Somehow they convey both the suffocating smoke, the glowing terrifying fire, and the warm love of the family with equal aplomb. Indeed the artwork is stunning. It manages to be dramatic, warm and cute all at once. The situation is so everyday: a little girl with her bear, her little brother colouring, in the kitchen while their mama makes soup. Something is burning... is it the soup? No, there are curls of smoke coming down the hallway and mama looks frightened. The children make their way out of the house: it is a good book for showing small children how to act in a fire: the little girl stops her wee brother from going further into the house, they don't hesitate over belongings, but get down close to the floor below the heavy smoke and meet with their mother outside. Mama knocks at the neighbor's, the firemen are called, and they watch as the firemen fight the fire. There at first seems hope the battle will be won, but then with an awful crash, the roof falls in, and everything is lost. The house is reduced to smouldering rubble. But then a fireman approaches them with the girl's teddybear and a photo... which turns out to be the mama, girl, wee brother and the teddy bear. Not everything was lost... they still have the most important: eachother. They are all safe. The tragedy and how quickly it can happen on an ordinary day is very clearly shown. The firemen are impressive and brave. The fire is swift and deadly and dramatic. The characters are full of caring, love and good sense. The fear, sadness, relief and very real love are palpable. Despite it treating such a difficult subject, my son wanted it read again. I found it harder, as an adult, having very real fears of such an event. But given that my son recently brought home fire safety materials from his daycare, I found this to be a much more human, convincing and reassuring depiction of home fires. Recommended.