SPARK THE FIREFIGHTER

In the town of Hardscrabble, volunteer firefighters aren’t easy to come by. Luckily, Spark, a dragon who’s afraid of fire (particularly fire-breathing of the dragon sort), decides to give it a go and overcome his fear. Because of his phobia, Spark “hadn't been able to guard treasure or frighten off unfriendly knights,” and has been ridiculed by other dragons. The desperate fire department agrees to try him out. Spark puts out a stove fire with no problem, and tackles a forest fire with just a little self-encouragement. His true test comes when a barn fire traps the farm animals inside. The human firefighters deem it too dangerous to go in, but Spark, after summoning up all his courage, fire-breathes a wall down and sets the animals free. While Spark never really seems as afraid as he says he is in the beginning, overall his is an empowering and playful story. Haley’s amusing watercolors lighten up what could be a scary subject, but it’s probably not the best choice for children who particularly fear fire. (Picture book. 4-6)