The Cookie Eating Fire Dog

I could not help but want to like this one because of the title which was so absurd, and in the end I did enjoy this young children's colorful and fun story about a naughty firehouse dog - which is of course the traditional Dalmatian.

This is a departure from this author's usual line of writing, which is aimed at a much more mature audience and tends toward murder mysteries. Also do not confuse her with Lisa Sideris who is also an author and an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University.

Based on a twenty-year-old story that came out of something her young (at that time) son said, the book was created rapidly, but found no publisher. Now it has one, which is an object lesson in never giving up. Those firefighters should never have given up on their dog either, because while he was a lazy little critter, much preferring to eat cookies than fight fires, even when out on the truck at a fire, he learned his lesson when a fire started...at the station house! And with dogged determination, he came through! The Dalmatian escaped damnation! Give that dog a cookie!

I thought this simply yet sweetly illustrated (by Joan Young) story was a blast and I commend it as a worthy read for young children.

Childlike watercolors and a little prose tell the story of Dan, who isn’t so much a fire dog as he is a fireMAN who happens to be a dog. From the title I assumed he’d be like the other Dalmatians, but right on the first page it says he wears the boots, coat, and hat that make the firefighter’s uniform. He can’t speak, though he does cry a lot when he doesn’t get cookies. Eventually he proves his worth while at the same time buckling down and getting serious about his job.
Little of this story makes sense, but then I suppose the age group this is directed to doesn’t care about that very much. Still, despite the occupation this is about, which a lot of little kids find exciting, there isn’t much here to remember. It does end with a few pages on fire safety, as well as a recipe for ginger snaps.

Story of a fire dog who is busy eating cookies that he has forgotten how to put out a fire. Simple illustrations.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

Dan, a Dalmatian fire dog, lives with the local firefighters and is expected to go with them to fight fires when the alarm bell rings. Dan decides he doesn't want to be part of the fire-fighting team. Instead he stays back at the station to do his most favourite thing ever... eat cookies. The Fire Chief is not amused and instructs his crew to get Dan moving and to do his job!

Dan learns a very valuable lesson one day when he is confronted with an empty fire station and a fire that is burning right before his eyes.

"Suddenly, Dan noticed a dark cloud swirling over his head. Smoke filled his nose. He stopped chewing. The little blue rug in front of the stove was on fire!"

Will Dan remember how to fight a fire and extinguish it? Can he single-pawedly ( I made that word up ) save the fire station by his brave actions to snuff out those potentially dangerous flames? Oh my!

This book is based on a tale that was stored away by the author for twenty years. It contains wonderful life lessons: make the right choices, own up to your responsibilities, be a team player if it's required of you and be brave and pro-active in a time of need. The illustrations are colourful and kid-friendly. The author has included Safety tips for both kids and parents at the end of the book and a yummy recipe for Super Snappy Ginger Snaps, Dan's favourite cookies. I love a happy ending and this book delivers. Dan learns his lessons and at the sound of the next fire bell, he dresses up in his fireman gear and is ready to hop on the truck to help out his fellow fire fighters. He proves that he is doggone great at fire fighting!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute story. Kids seem to love dogs, cookies, and firemen, so this is a book they will enjoy.