Fire Truck

Scientific American

. . .[A] fiery fantasy.

Children's Literature

Matt loves fire trucks so much that one day he wakes up and he is a fire truck. His big red fire truck has one driver, two ladders, three hoses and lots of other fire fighting equipment. What fun zooming around extinguishing fires and rescuing his stuffed animals. But wait, what is that smell in the air? Matt heads for the kitchen, and when he sees the pancakes on the table, the little boy reappears to enjoy his delicious breakfast. Executed primarily in black and red, this tale will appeal to kids who have lots of imagination. The counting lesson from one to ten is incidental to the fantasy adventure, but it and the fold out page of the boy/fire engine set this board book apart from others. 2004 (orig. 1998), HarperFestival/HarperCollins, Ages 2 to 4.
—Marilyn Courtot

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Matt loves fire trucks, so much that one day he wakes up and he is a fire truck. His big red fire truck has one driver, two ladders, three hoses and lots of other fire fighting equipment. What fun zooming around extinguishing fires and rescuing his stuffed animals. But wait, what is that smell in the air? Matt heads for the kitchen, and when he sees the pancakes on the table, the little boy reappears to enjoy his delicious breakfast. Executed primarily in black and red, this tale will appeal to kids who have lots of imagination. The counting lesson is incidental to the fantasy adventure.

School Library Journal

PreS-Sis blends simple text with bold pictures to give insight into one boy's vivid imagination. Matt's passion for fire engines permeates his whole life: "His first words in the morning were `fire truck.' The last thing he said before he went to bed was `fire truck.'" Not content just to play fireman, Matt wakes up and finds that he has actually become a fire truck. Only the insistent aroma of pancakes can bring him out of his enticing daydream. One simple sentence per picture allows for plenty of page turning without sacrificing the clear story line. A fold-out page of the fire truck accompanied by a numbered list of items to look for can be read as part of the narrative or returned to later as a find-and-count game. Matt's pajamas and cap are flamboyant red like his extensive collection of toy trucks, while other details of home are reduced to plain black outlines, showing how imaginary worlds can seem more real than everyday life. Small groups of toddlers will love tearing around the room making siren noises just like Matt. This short, active story (plus the undeniable allure of fire engines) is perfect for children who have just discovered the joys of pretending.-Torrie Hodgson, Burlington Public Library, WA

Scientific American

. . .[A] fiery fantasy.

NY Times Book Review

...[A] sweetly fanciful paean to these sleek red vehicles...[a]light with whimsy...

Marilyn Bousquin

Matt loves fire trucks so much that one day he wakes up as one. (His bed serves as the truck from his waist down while from the waist up he is still Matt-a fire-truck centaur, if you will). He zooms through the living room ("the neighborhood"), where he puts out a fire, rescues a cat, and saves a falling teddy bear. Only when he smells pancakes does he "park" at the kitchen table and become Matt again. S¡s's deceptively spare style is the genius of this book-simple black lines against lots of white space emphasize the uncomplicated nature of Matt's world, while the almost exclusively red palette focuses all of our attention (like Matt's) on fire trucks. Poster-board quality paper will fare well in the eager hands of recent board book graduates as they delight in Matt's "this is my world" attitude-an attitude that begs the question, What do you want to be when you wake up? -- --Horn Book

Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

Peter Sis illustrates Matt's obsession in colors that are mostly fire-engine red. -- New York Times Books of the Century

Kirkus Reviews

Sis (Starry Messenger) celebrates a universally cherished childhood favorite—the fire truck—in simple, clean lines and smooth planes of color. Matt loves fire trucks so much that one day he wakes up to find himself metamorphosed into one. Matt-the-truck has a heroic morning putting out fires and saving victimsþa house cat and a beloved teddy bear. Matt-the-truck is transformed back into a little boy by the irresistible lure of pancakes. "The fire truck parked at the kitchen tableþand Matt ate his breakfast." Included within the book is a gate-fold illustration that opens up to reveal a large rendering of Matt in his fully equipped truck state; the three-page spread ingeniously incorporates a counting lesson, from one driver to ten boots. Understanding of the scope of youthful imagination, Sis fulfills one of a child's dearest fantasies, in crisp black line drawings on a white background with brilliant splashes of red, and only occasional bits of gold, brown, and blue-gray. The spartan application of color makes the intensely red fire trucks leap off the pages, perfect for point-and-name games and for inspiring similar flights of the imagination.