Customer Reviews

Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

My four-and-a-half-year-old son absolutely loves this book (and so do his parents!) The author has really captured the wonderful way in which children pretend to become firefighters, construction workers, policemen, etc...This book not only makes for great bedtime reading, it can also inspire your child's imaginative play during the daytime. The pictures captivate my son's imagination and encourage him to use different household objects when taking off for the moon or rescuing pretend pets from fires. I hope MacLean writes another children's book soon.

As an educational consultant for fifteen + years and former elementary teacher, I am awed by this delightful story and its engaging illustrations. Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms is charming, tender, and often amusing. Our six-year old daughter asked us to read it again and again, and eventually she read parts to us. When asked what her favorite parts were, she said "everything!" She'll often select this book to read at bedtime, months after first reading it. Even Firefighters helps open discussions of herorism and courage, jobs and the world of work, but it also allows parents and teachers to talk about caring for others. I'd encourage anyone who enjoys this delightful picture book to consider using some of the well-designed enrichment activities and lessons developed by the Family Education Network. They are free for downloading, and will enhance your reading and enjoyment of Even Firefighters. I commend Ms. MacLean and Mr. Reed on their creativity, and look forward to a sequel.

A very sweet book with the cadences and repetition kids love along with an understated humor and story line that entertains adults, too. I love the illustrations and the way they support the text without taking over. One of those magical children's books with the potential to become a classic.

When I got to the end of this book, my four-year-old said, "Again!" The author and illustrator both do a terrific job of capturing what interests children of a certain age -- my six-year-old also loved it -- and the scenes common to houses with kids of that age. The story is also readable enough that you won't mind the multiple readings.

My soon-to-be 4-year-old son loves this book. He wants to read it again and again, and is imitating the pretend play he sees there. The pictures are wonderful and the text has enough humor to keep me entertained, even through the millionth reading!Highly recommended.

This is a winner. Text is engaging and resonates with real life and real kids. Sweet without being sentimental. The illustrations are terrific, too, the kind you can look at and find jokes in while you're reading the book. And it's not just for boys--girls and boys can relate to the imaginative play--and the grounding in Mom--the book encourages.

This wonderful book offers a peek into the magical world of children's creative play. I love the tone, and all of the characters ring true. The mom is my hero -- I'm glad her patience and focus eventually pay off. The illustrations offer several "jumping off" places for conversations with the kids you're sharing the book with ("What does OUR vacuum cleaner look like?"). If you're lucky, you might even get a hug.

As an educational consultant for fifteen + years and former elementary teacher, I am awed by this delightful story and its engaging illustrations. Even Firefighters Hug Their Moms is charming, tender, and often amusing. Our six-year old daughter asked us to read it again and again, and eventually she read parts to us. When asked what her favorite parts were, she said "everything!" She'll often select this book to read at bedtime, months after first reading it. Even Firefighters helps open discussions of herorism and courage, jobs and the world of work, but it also allows parents and teachers to talk about caring for others. I'd encourage anyone who enjoys this delightful picture book to consider using some of the well-designed enrichment activities and lessons developed by the Family Education Network. They are free for downloading, and will enhance your reading and enjoyment of Even Firefighters. I commend Ms. MacLean and Mr. Reed on their creativity, and look forward to a sequel.

My husband is a firefighter/paramedic. He works with police officers too, and they ALL love this book for their kids. There aren't too many words on each page so it keeps the little one's attention. Its illustrations are also a great way to show how kids still have an imagination without involving the TV! Highly recommended!!

It has very well-done illustrations. It clearly shows a boy going through his day in a normal way, full of realistic fantasy play. I like how he includes his baby sister in everything, and how his mother participates a little in his play. The language is realistic and appropriately detailed.

But we don't read it very often, and I think I know why.

Firstly, this is a *very* long, *very* wordy book. It's definitely better suited for children closer to 8 than to 4, and even then - it's a long book. You have to really make time for it, you can't just fit it in there. This isn't in and of itself a problem, plenty of the books we *do* read a lot are long, but it definitely doesn't make me more likely to want to read it.

Secondly, the mom in the book is... well... just a little needy. By the middle of the book her desperation for a hug starts to weird me out. I understand that kids go through that no-hugging stage, and you do start to really miss them - but I can't help thinking that she'd get more cuddles if she'd just SHUT UP about it already! I know if I want a hug, all I have to do is ostensibly refuse them and the next thing I know I'm being smothered! (And I'm not that needy for them, either.)

It's just not my thing. I know a lot of people sympathize with the mom, and I feel for her, but... it goes a little overboard, and not in the funny way that I like.

It might just be me.