Fire! (Scholastic Reference) - Joy Masoff - Hardcover

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6Readers will feel the heroism, bravery, and thrill of being a firefighter when they delve into Masoff's informative and action-packed presentation. Spectacular full-color photos accompany a text that tells how fires start, how they burn, how firefighters get to the fire, and what equipment they use. Jargon such as flashover, flashpoint, and backdraft is clearly defined. This book expresses well the point that being a firefighter involves much more than putting out fires. Readers will see that firefighters respond to numerous calls for help such as a child trapped in a cave, a car accident, a hazardous materials spill, and many others incidents. An interview section brings out a discussion of a firefighter's worst fears, how hot fires are, and the various tests of strength required to do the job, such as being able to drag an 80-pound hose. Masoff also provides a historical look at firefighting in colonial Jamestown and includes other bits of history such as the invention of alarm boxes and the introduction of the dalmation as mascot. Safety tips for fire prevention are included as is a "find out more" section that includes magazines, films, addresses of organizations, and a Web site. If you have budding firefighters in your midst, this is a must buy.Katherine Borchert, Arlington Central Library, VA

Horn

Bold and busy, this volume packs in an enormous amount of information on the work of firefighters. Photo captions on the back jacket offer an apt summation: "The gear, the rigs, the drama, the rescues, the bravery, the power, the heroism, the thrill, the future." Masoff's personal enthusiasm for her subject along with her attention to detail and clear, lively writing set this far above the common run of razzle-dazzle, photo-filled com-pendia. Firefighters' gear and equipment, tactics for many types of fire and rescue missions, historical fires, detective work in discovering the causes of fires, home fire-protection strategies, and much more is covered in the well-organized snippets of text, captions, and copious photo-graphs. From the endpaper spreads of firefighters' badges and the dra-matic flames in the title page photograph to the concluding lists of books and magazines, places to write and visit, films, and online resources, the book is impressively informative and compelling for readers of many ages. Index.