Marcel’s new favorite book is hands down This is the firefighter by Laura Godwin. I love it because the firefighters are female, male, Black, White, and in between. I love that the crowds in the story wear saris and dreadlocks and whatever they choose. We call the one with dreadlocks Tree (Marcel’s donor’s name) because Marcel decided that is what he looks like now.

The fire takes place in an art museum which is so much less personal and scary than a home.  The story is written in easy rhymes with varied vocabulary like flurry to rhyme with hurry. The dalmatian or “FIRE DOG MAMA LOOK!!” covers his eyes with his paws when the cat is in momentary distress.

We checked it out Saturday, and have read it four thousand times. Marcel has already memorized it.

Best line from Marcel while reading it; “Mama why do they keep stretching her if she was in the fire? Doesn’t that hurt her?” This came the day after I introduced the word; stretcher to his vocabulary.

If you have a fire fighting enthusiast at your house, I’d put this one on your list for the next visit to the library or Amazon.

This post was suggested by Marcel, who by the way was bringing me the firefighter in the picture above to put out my fever when I was taking a nap last week. I didn’t have a nap. But in case I “got one lying down, this will help.”