Customer Reviews

Fire Truck

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My two year old son really enjoys this book -- so does his two year old cousin (we gave him a copy!). This is an imaginative story about a little boy who loves fire trucks. When he "becomes" a fire truck, the little boy puts out a fire, rescues a cat and teddy bear, and finally, drawn by the smell of pancakes, pulls up at the kitchen table where he parks his truck. The last picture shows the little boy eating a large plate of pancakes. The illustrations are great -- simple but clever drawings. On one page, there is a large diagram of a fire truck, and the items on the fire truck can be counted -- 2 ladders, 3 hoses, 10 boots, etc.). As an adult, I appreciate having interesting children's books around the house as I will be reading them over and over. This one is a winner.

We've probably read most every book there is about fire trucks and this remains the favorite. I like that we can count from 1 to 10 and learn while enjoying this delightful book.

At 18 months, my son couldn't get enough of this book, and at two, he still asks for it frequently. I think the age range for the book is too high, causing the frustration expressed by other reviewers. The simple illustrations are perfect for the younger child, and the counting feature is terrific. For older kids, try Fireman Small.

My son loves this book!! We read it several times a day. It is easy to relate to if you have a firetruck crazy child. I also like the fact that counting in incorporated into the story. I highly recommend!

If you are a children's author hailing originally from the Czech Republic and you have a child that is obsessed with fire trucks, it just makes good common sense to write your child their very own fire truck book. Starring that child. Meet author/illustrator Peter Sis. An artist whose works have extended from the poster for the movie "Amadeus" to the recent breathtaking oh-my-goodness-how-did-he-make-all-those-dots "Tree of Life", Sis is a master of detail and complexity. Yet in "Fire Truck" he makes a 180 degree turn in the opposite direction. Where his past works would make Seurat himself envious of their painstaking detail (emphasis on the pain), "Fire Truck" is an experiment in clean lines and utter simplicity. It has a beautiful Eastern European flavor to it and simple words and pictures that kids will be drawn to.

One there was a boy named Matt who loved fire trucks. As the book progresses we see just how much Matt adores his trucks. They are, we are told, the first words he says in the morning and the last words he says at night. One day, Matt wakes up and lo and behold he has merged into his very own fire truck. The book counts off all the items that are a part of Matt and prove his new fire trucky status. One driver, four flashing lights, nine axes, etc. He saves animals, puts out fires, and rescues falling teddy bears. And when pancakes are filling the air with their scent he parks the truck at the table and (now a boy once more) sits himself down to eat.

Simple stuff. If you're looking for a long in-depth treatise on the inner working of fire trucks, look elsewhere. Here you will find the barest bones of the story. There are approximately three colors in this book altogether. You've got your blue, your brown, and (of course) your red. With white and black as the lines and spaces, of course. But the story is excellent. What fire truck obsessed kid wouldn't want to suddenly wake up one day and find they'd merged with their favorite vehicle? The pages of the book are thick and difficult to tear, making them excellent for either very small children or kids learning to read on their own. There is a two-page pullout of Matt as a long lovely fire truck that might get a little bent or squished over time. Then again, the copy of the book I read was taken from my local public library and the pages were in used but unripped condition. Take that as you may.

If you are looking for anything and everything regarding fire trucks to appease your cantankerous little one a) Try to turn them on to dinosaurs instead and b) Failing that go out and get them a copy of Peter Sis's "Fire Truck". It may be one of his lesser known works, but it shows his great range and is a sure-fire hit with the kiddies. An excellent selection.

My son loves this book. We had gotten it from the library, and I had to buy it because after we returned it he kept talking about it. It's about a boy who turns into a fire truck. Need I say more? (It includes some counting, too, but the items are kind of small for him to count at this age.)

Fire Truck by Peter Sis

Matt is obsessed with fire trucks. In fact he is so consumed with fire trucks that one morning he wakes up and he is a fire truck. No this is not a copy of Kafka's The Metamorphosis, but a playful look at children's imaginations.

The black and white illustrations of Matt and his surroundings are nicely contrasted with Matt's very red and very bright fire truck collection. Matt has a busy day as a fire truck by racing down the street, rescuing a cat, putting out a fire and then saving a teddy bear. And this is all before breakfast! As with all children's imaginations hungry pains tend to stop them in their tracks. Once Matt smells pancakes for breakfast he is back to being a boy. With the fire truck parked safely at the kitchen table Matt can enjoy the benefits boyhood with a hot pile of steaming pancakes.

Older children and parents will enjoy how Sis integrated counting by listing the different items on a fire truck: 1 driver, 2 ladders, 3 fire hoses, etc.

Every time we go to the library my son manages to find this book and get me to check it out for him. Obviously other little boys love it as well, because today the pages had worn out and the librarian said they'd have to send it in to get repaired! I decided to just buy it for him. As an adult, I don't really get why it has such appeal, but for a 3 year old little boy, it sure seems like a great book!

Fire Truck by Peter Sis is one of my three year-old son's favorite books. The premise of the book is that a little boy named Matt who loves fire trucks wakes up one morning to discover that he has become a fire truck. Every little firefighter's dream come true! Matt the fire truck races around the house rescuing the cat, putting out a fire on the bookshelves, and more. There is a fold-out page that contains a larger illustration of Matt the fire truck, and lists from one to ten all the parts of the truck. The illustrations are simple but focus on the most important things here: the fire trucks, whcih will delight your little ones. This is a favorite in our house and will be sure to please any child under the age of four, or any child who is obsessed with fire trucks. Every time we get to the part where Matt wakes up to discover he is a fire truck, my son gets a huge grin on his face--I'm sure he wishes he could be like Matt too.

I agree with a previous reviewer that there are not many words to this book, and it would have made an excellent board book for younger kids. That being said, for some reason my 4 year old loves this book. We got it from the library, and have renewed it so many times I am considering purchasing it.