Flying Firefighters [Hardcover]

Gary Hines (Author), Anna Grossnickle Hines (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 1993 | Age Level: 5 and up

A group of firefighters put out a forest fire using a helicopter.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-An exciting, action-packed portrayal of helicopter and sky-diving firefighters. Men and women members of a helitack crew are shown fighting a forest fire from beginning to end with an explanation of the equipment that they use. The easy-to-read text is filled with descriptive phrases of the helicopter sounds, fire conditions, and dialogue. A page of facts on forest fires is appended. Flying Firefighters is better than Carol Greene's I Can Be a Forest Ranger (Childrens, 1989), which is illustrated with photographs of the equipment. It also gives more information than Robert Ekey's Fire! In Yellowstone (Gareth Stevens, 1989). Anna Hines's watercolor paintings follow the action, but the characters appear stilted or almost frozen at times. They stay remarkably clean throughout the fire, also reducing credibility. Nonetheless, this is a useful, up-to-date treatment of a popular subject.
Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. A "helitack" crew is summoned by radio to fight a forest fire: The present-tense drama of this picture book will hold children with its fast-paced action and exciting facts. In a long note at the end, Hines talks about forest fires in general, including how they start and whether they should ever be allowed to burn and take their course. But the story, with terse words and lively double-page-spread watercolors, has the immediacy of a single incident. Once they hear the radio dispatch, the crew spring into their fire-fighting clothes and take off in the helicopter with rotors turning and giant blades chopping the air. They sight the smoke and find the source of the fire. They work to control it from the ground and with huge buckets of water from the air until the ground crew gets there and the helitack crew can finally rest. Kids will enjoy the account of brave people at work and imagine themselves there: "Copter Five-One-Seven . . . Reported fire . . . Please respond." Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 20, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395611970
• ISBN-13: 978-0395611975
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,838,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story, writing and illustration, December 19, 2011

By 

Geneve M Allison (Alameda, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flying Firefighters (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book for any kid who is interested in fire fighters.

The adventures of the flying firefighters who bravely helicopter into remote areas to fight forest fires is not your usual fire fighter fare.

I appreciate the diversity of the crew as well. Well-written by someone who knows the subject extremely well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book., December 13, 2007

By 

D. J. "happy reader" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flying Firefighters (Hardcover)

We got this book from the library for my 5 year old and we loved it so much we purchased it. He is fascinated with both airplanes and fire fighters, so it really held his interest.