I thought their wide eyes might just pop out as my twins and their friends followed a tall firefighter around the fire station. The friendly firefighter spent an hour showing the kids his uniform and the station’s fire engines. They were hooked.
Firefighters and their immense shiny red fire engines are fascinating to toddlers. How could something that large and loud and fast not be, really?
My toddlers were fascinated after that trip to the fire station. When they came home they had so many questions and spent the afternoon chasing each other around the backyard with the hose pretending to be firefighters. I knew I needed some books about firefighters.
It is safe to say we read about 50 books about fire fighters in the months that followed while we did a whole unit on firefighters. Many were interesting or fun, but these were the 10 that we renewed a million times, added to our collection, and read more times than I can count.
12 Best Books About Fire Fighters for Toddlers
1. Firefighters A to Z by Chris L. Demarest
Alphabet books that tell a story are high on my list. This follows firefighters from when the A for Alarm rings to Z when they zip into bed exhausted. Written and illustrated by a volunteer firefighter, it smartly introduces information about fire fighters and illustrates this dangerous job with enthusiasm that captures the daily bravery of these every day heroes. 2+
2. Mighty Machines: Fire Truck by Caroline Bingham
Amazing fact: “Firefighters can respond to a call and be out of their station in 20 seconds, quicker than you can tie your shoelaces.” Jam-packed with interesting information – this is a great book. 2+
3. A Fire Engine for Ruthie by Leslea Newman
Great book about gender neutral play expectations. Ruthie visits her nana and has all kinds of girly toys ready to play with. Ruthie is more interested in the neighbors fire engine, train, and motorcycle. 2+
4. Fire Truck by Peter Sis
Imaginative play is celebrated in this little classic book. Simple and creative illustrations. 1+
5. Machines at Work: Fire Trucks by Maria T. Schmidt
Super simple non-fiction book with great photography. Perfect non-fiction for toddlers. Ours were especially thrilled to learn that there are airplane fire trucks. 1+
6. Fire Truck is Flashing by Mandy Archer
A story about fox the firefighter and his crew who fight a fire. Simple story with a fire truck diagram and illustrated index of other emergency vehicles at the back. 2+
7. Firefighter’s Tools by Anders Hanson
If you have a child super interested in the details of firefighting – this is a great non-fiction book. This is a closer look at the great variety of firefighters tools and what they are used for in their job. 2+
8. Fighting Fires by Seymour Simon
Seymour Simon has written over 200 non-fiction books for young children and the practice shows. My favorite part about Fighting Fires is the awesome photographs of firefighters in action fighting fire. It helped to answer a lot of our toddlers’ questions and sparked some new ones. 2+
9. Lou by Breanna Carzoo
Meet Lou. He’s a fire hydrant, obviously you know that, but he thinks he’s just a toilet for bathrooms. He’s sure there’s some larger greatness inside of him but he isn’t sure what it could be. Comic timing, a joke the audience understands that the main character doesn’t, hilarious illustrations, and an unlikely superhero. This book is so full of heart and humor and perfect for reading aloud. 2+
10. Firefighter Ted by Andrea Beaty and Pascal Lemaitre
Adorable Ted wakes up and smells smoke. He looks around but does not see a firefighter so he hurries to fill the void and ends up dosing his mom in shaving cream. One “helpful” escapade after another leads to Ted actually saving the day. A funny book about imagination and the ways a preschooler tries to help. 2+
11. Firefighter Flo by Andrea Zimmerman and Dan Yaccarino
Full of action, onomatopoeia, and a kick butt heroine, this is a fun read aloud for this month. It follows Flo and her team one night on the job. It’s predictable, but in a cheerful, heartwarming, energetic kind of way.
12. I’m the Fire Engine Driver by David Semple
For the kid on your lap who loves to interact with their book (think PRESS HERE) this is a fun fire engine story. The text encourages you to label things, push controls, count to 20 and more. A fantastic pick for a kid who loves fire engines and wants to give it a try. It is energetic, interactive, and walks you through a call.
