FIRE CHIEF FRAN

An action-packed day in the life of a fire chief.

Readers are introduced to the myriad responsibilities of a small suburban fire department through the eyes of fire chief Fran, a dark-skinned woman with curly black hair. Over the course of her shift, the firefighters suit up so they can save a dog that accidentally got stuck in a fence while chasing a duck, put out a small brush fire at a campsite, meet a diverse class of students touring the station, perform basic first aid, and more. The story, told in an engaging and varied rhyme scheme and accompanied by bright, appealing acrylic and digital illustrations, doesn’t shy away from the amount of work that firefighters need to do, including the physical and practical training that keep the firefighters performing at peak capacity. A final page addressing “A Few Fast Facts About Firefighters” will help answer lingering questions and dispel misconceptions—the book notes, for instance, that two out of three calls are for medical aid and that, for safety reasons, not all stations have fire poles. The backmatter also states that while Fran has a diverse team, in real life only about 10% of firefighters are women. Hopefully this title will help improve that statistic. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This book is on fire!