Firefighter Flo! (Big Jobs, Bold Women) by Andrea Zimmerman

Firefighter Flo! (Big Jobs, Bold Women) Reviews

• 
  Darla

  This book is part of a new series called "Big Jobs Bold Women" and is perfect for story circles. The preschool crowd will love the clear graphics and extra sounds throughout. Flo is part of a diverse group of firefighters and she leads them to fight a fire, save a dog, and back to the station for a rest.
  
  Hey, yo!
  Firefighter Flo!
  You're a hero!
  You're a pro!
• 
  Kirsti

  I think small kids will love this because of the STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! and the WHOOOOOSH and the SCREEEEEECH. Colorful, appealing art. Minor quibble: Why don't books about firefighters ever mention the smell of a fire and its aftermath?
• 
  Vera Godley

  The main character is Flo, a female firefighter and she leads the crew of firefighters on a night-time excursion to put out a fire. From the moment the phone sounds the alarm and the firefighters hustle to go to the fire to when they return to their firestation, their actions are captured in terse text that small listeners can join in by repeating words.
  
  Book has particularly dark pages which are representative of night time. It does seem a bit stark.
  
  A fun read for little ones who always love fire trucks and firefighters.
  
  I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review.
• 
  Lisa

  Inevitably, this will be compared to
  Fire Chief Fran since, on the surface, they are about very similar topics: Black female fire chiefs.
  
  But they are pretty different. Flo is more narrow in scope and shows one event in the life of a firefighter: namely fighting a fire. I always love Yaccarino's art and how vintage and pop art it feels. I think Flo will appeal to younger kids with its rhyming and quick pace.
• 
  Tiffany

  Book provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
  
  Firefighter Flo! is a story about Flo and her team responding to fires in their community.  The prose consists of descriptive words like CLANG of the bell and the WHOOSH of the siren on the truck.  The book follows Flo and her coworkers as they go out in their community but only after putting on safety gear and loading into their truck.  Flo’s team works together to put out the fire and rescue a pet before heading back after a very long night.
  
  

  Illustrations by Dan Yaccarino are bold and almost retro, especially with the firefighter outfits.  I like that the descriptive words are capitalized giving an opportunity for children to read along.  Firefighter Flo is inspiring to young girls, showing that anyone can become a firefighter despite age or gender.
  
  This book is the first in the Big Jobs, Bold Women series which aims to cover women in certain jobs that work with teams, and if the other books are as colorful and fun as this book, you’ll want to track the series also!
• 
  Stephanie Tournas

  Bold, vibrant art and simple text describe a night’s work at a busy fire station. Brief, repetitive rhyming text uses lots of onomatopoeia for the sounds of the firefighters’ work extinguishing a house fire: “SCREEEEEEEEECH went the tires! / The water rushed. The hoses gushed. SSSSHHHHHH!” Readers will thrill to the suspense as Flo and her team rescue a pup by chopping down a door: “BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!” The drama of the outdoor scenes is accentuated by the black background. Flo, a woman, and most of other firefighters are Black, and they rescue a biracial family. A polka dotted Dalmation is on hand for the rescue.
  
  Yaccarino’s stylized graphic art is well suited to the topic, portraying the speed of a running firefighter in the slant of their body and the drama of the water and smoke by swirling spirals. Although there isn’t a lot of detail in the fire station or backgrounds, the action and fun text will keep toddlers entertained. This is the first title in the series, “Big Jobs, Bold Women.”
• 
  Kris

  
  2024 Indiana Firefly Award Nominee
  
  Great for storytime, as long as you don't follow the story too closely. Bright, bold and clear illustrations, short text that invites audience participation with fun sounds and onomatopoeia, and diversity reflected in the various skintones and genders of characters.
  
  My overthinking brain wonders about the family whose house was burning. With all the smoke, ceilings crashing, and chopping through walls with an axe, the family is left smiling at the end waving goodbye. Granted, their puppy was saved...but I don't think they would be smiling on the side of the road waving goodbye at the end of this ordeal when they clearly can't stay in their house. It's very possible that this is common in firefighter books and I've always overlooked it 🤷‍♀️
• 
  Cheryl Gladfelter

  4 stars for Flo being awesome, the rhymes and sounds, and the illustrations.
  
  That said: I realize I'm reading this book having just seen a huge fire yesterday that definitely made the family's house unlivable. Reading this, watching Flo break down the door, window breaking, ceiling crashing--the family is, of course, grateful that Flo saved their dog! And they say thank you and wave to the firefighters as they leave. But would they be smiling? Who is saying good luck to who? Firefighters to the family, who definitely cannot return to their house and it's the middle of the night and where are they going to go? There is no one else around.
  
  I realize that this is me projecting and spiraling, and I really did love this book, but I am worried about this family.
• 
  John Mullarkey

  A quick-paced story with Flo - a firefighter who leads a crew of firefighters during the night to put out a fire and save a small dog is a perfect story for young readers or listeners in a group. There is plenty of repetition and rhyme, along with examples of onomatopoeia that make it a fun book to share. The illustrations by Dan Yaccarino are colorful and bold and have a retro/classic style to them that compliment the story very well. I noticed that this is a part of a series, "Big Jobs, Bold Women" that will place women as main characters in roles that are diverse and inclusive - another positive element of the book. This will certainly be a great addition to libraries and classrooms during fire prevention week and throughout the year. "Way to go, FIREFIGHTER FLO!"
• 
  Roben

  Firefighter Flo is awesome! She and her crew answer the call in the middle of the night and rush from the firehouse to the burning house. Uh-oh! There's a pup trapped inside - but not to worry! Brave Flo is able to rescue the dog. What a great read-aloud for the preschool and K crowd! They will certainly enjoy repeating the sounds and acting out parts of the story.
  This is the first book in a new series - Big Jobs; Bold Women. I enjoyed the bold colors that Dan Yaccarino used and I'm thrilled that our hero is a woman of color!
• 
  Brooke - TheBrookeList

  So many sounds, bright bold colors, and diverse representation. Firefight Flo! shows us a bold woman doing big work, without feeling overtly feminist. Flo has other friends that help her, male and female, and together they show us how they attend to the fire call. It appeals to the sounds kids love and has a classic feel. One I could see our younger children requesting again and again.
  
  Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
• 
  Lauren

  This is a great story time book! Not only does it show that women are firefighters too--and a woman of color too!--but it is simple, colorful, rhymes, and has opportunities for the reader to make some fun sound effects. While it's not likely the kind of story that you will remember the rest of your life and want to read over and over again, it's a fresh breath of diversity in a notoriously male-centered field.
• 
  Liz

  Firefighter Flo and the rest of the firehouse responds to a call about a burning building. Always great to see women as firefighters saving the day compared to the default men. A good new addition for firefighter books. The bold digital illustrations make this a good one for a large crowd read aloud and emphasize the red throughout. The rhyming text makes this a great read aloud to then do "Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Firetruck."
• 
  Aolund

  A fast-paced, appealing book about Flo, a woman with light medium brown skin and curly brown hair who is a firefighter. With lots of onomatopoeia and a nice rhythm, this book tells a quick tale of Flo working with her fellow firefighters to save the day at a house that is on fire.
  
  Themes: Firefighters, Community Helpers
  Age range: Toddler-Preschool
• 
  Mary

  A high energy rhyming picture book about a fire fighting team led by Flo who are ever ready to fight fires. With a bouncy text and bold illustrations, this is a dramatic story of the team bravely putting out a fire in the middle of the night and rescuing a puppy. A wonderful book to include in units about community helpers and fire fighters.
• 
  Caroline

  This is a great interactive and diverse picture book! I love that it depicts a woman of color in a traditionally male dominated role, but it doesn't point it out. It's nice for kids to just see people who look like them doing things they may want to do someday!
  
  Lots of great onomatopoeia and places where listeners could interact with the story at story time!
• 
  MeganRuth - Alohamora Open a Book

  Super fun firefighter book. The onomatopoeias would make this a super fun read aloud. I also love that it is a female firefighter so that it is breaking the gender norms.
  
  Storytime focus: Background Knowledge or vocabulary.
  
  Possibly pair with: Fire Chief Fran, non-fiction firefighter's book.
• 
  Melissa the Librarian

  I enjoyed this one and it was quicker and simpler than Fire Chief Fran (which I also enjoyed). This is probably the book I'd choose for Storytime, just because the illustrations/text are simpler for those wandering attention spans...
• 
  Victoria Whipple

  Zippy text with rhymes and onomatopoeia combine with bold illustrations featuring shades of yellow red and black, telling the story of a brwon-skinned, curly haired firefighter (and her crew who show varied skin tones) as they respond to an emergency. Spoiler alert: everyone is ok at the end!
• 
  Peacegal

  This high-energy picture book depicts brave Firefighter Flo and her crew as they rush to the scene of a fire. I loved that Flo rescued a family's dog, showing that saving animals is also an important part of a firefighter's work.
• 
  Erin Buhr

  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.
• 
  Rachel (find_me_lost_in_a_book)

  Read this to my niece on International Women’s Day! Probably one of the best firefighter books I’ve read. Love that the firefighter is a woman! Lets not forget the amazing illustrations done by Dan Yaccarino!
• 
  Erin

  Dynamic text and bold illustrations would make this very fun to read aloud. An action packed evening at the firestation, a competent deployment of water and resources to fight a fire, and then a final satisfying plop into bed after a good night's work.
• 
  Emma

  A worthy addition to the (huge) collection of firefighter picture books. This one reads aloud nicely, and I could see it going over even better with a slightly younger crew than I read it to today, since you'd be able to make all the sound effects as a group.
• 
  Brittany

  I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. This book would be a good selection for a Preschool Storytime about Firefighters. The words are simple and it rhymes. The illustrations are clear (kinda plain). Good for little littles.
• 
  Patricia N. McLaughlin

  A terrific tale for aspiring firefighters, this rhyming story about firefighting heroics is full of onomatopoeia and action that is so appealing to younger listeners. Bold illustrations feature Yaccarino’s simple, distinctive style.
• 
  K

  I did this as a story time for a community helpers theme at my new library when we had a bunch of 1st graders take a field trip here. They loved helping to make all the noises and doing the call and response. I would use this book again.
• 
  Bekah Hubstenberger

  With the numerous onomatopoeia’s and fairly concise text this would be a great story time book for highlighting phonological awareness.
• 
  Jessica

  Loved the rhymes and bright colors.
• 
  Syntha Green

  Would be a good choice for storytime