Friday, October 11, 2013

Fire Prevention Week

"Stop, Drop, and Roll!"  Those are the first things that children learn about fire safety.  The need to be vigilant about fire prevention and safety is a necessity for all.  According to the National Fire Protection Association, the sponsor of Fire Prevention Week:
  • Approximately seven people in the United States die in a fire every single day. 
  • Cooking is the #1 leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries; 2 out of every 5 fire homes begin in the kitchen. 
  • Only 1/3 of Americans have created and practiced an escape plan in the event of a home fire. 
  • Working smoke alarms cut your risk of dying in a fire by half; the lack of working smoke alarms was present in 2/3, or 62%, of deaths related to home fires. 
Learning about fires and fire safety doesn't have to be scary, though! We have excellent children's books that will educate children about the importance of fire safety and the work of firefighters: 



Arthur's Fire Drill

D.W. is a bit nervous about the upcoming fire drill.  With Arthur's help, she learns that fire drills are not scary, and are an important part of learning about fire safety.  Fire safety tips are included throughout the story.  This is an easy reader for children comfortable with reading multiple sentences per page. 



This slightly silly but fast-paced book imparts basic fire safety information in a fun and cartoonish format.  Readers and listeners will learn the importance of calling 911, leaving the house as safely and quickly as possible, and the standard "stop, drop, and roll" technique.  Fireboy not only teaches survival skills, but he also stresses the need for fire prevention and having an escape plan.  


Fire Fighters A to Z

Stories with forced and/or awkward rhyming schemes annoy me greatly.  Fire Fighters A to Z, fortunately, is not annoying!  The rhymes work rather well in this sophisticated alphabet book detailing the important work of fire fighters (and not so much fire safety tips for individuals).  Although it's an alphabet book, it's not baby-ish in the least.




I got a big kick out of The Gingerbread Man Loose in School, so I'm happy to see this follow-up.  The Gingerbread Man tags along (in a student's backpack) on a field trip to the local fire station.  Unfortunately, the station Dalmatian is eager to eat The Gingerbread Man all up.  The Gingerbread Man's mad escape takes him throughout the fire house and even onto the fire truck when the fire fighters jump into action.  This is a fun and non-threatening look at the inside of a fire station, a fire fighter's gear, a fire truck, and how fire fighters extinguish fire.

Happy Friday! Looking for more new books to read? New DVDs to watch? Sign up for our Wowbrary email newsletter to get the scoop on the latest titles ordered for Fauquier County libraries. The newsletter is emailed every Saturday. Back issues are available.

Jennifer Schultz, Youth Services Librarian, Fauquier County Public Library 

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