Review of a Classic Fire Book: Johnny the Fireman

We’ve been finding great fire books over the past few weeks, both at the library and ones that we have purchased. However, we also came to own a classic children’s fire book thanks to FireDad’s Grandma, also fondly known by TheBrothers as Mamaw. The book, when researched on the Internet, is referred to as vintage and actually sells for a pretty penny. Ours has been well-loved and we have no intention of selling.

Johnny the Fireman was written by Rebecca K. Sprinkle and illustrated by Ruth Wood. The book was published by Rand McNally in 1954. The front cover lists the price at… wait for it… $0.25. (How many books would you buy today if they were priced that low? A whole library’s worth!) It’s taped together both with old, yellowed tape (as apparently FireDad’s own father was a bit rough on books back in the day) and the clear tape I added to keep the cover attached.

The story is just lovely. Of course, being vintage, the book doesn’t mention firefighters who happen to be women. Nor are there any firefighters of different ethnicities. 1954 was a different time. (Remember when I wrote about old firefighting books and my feminist button? Thankfully there are no blatant, “Women can’t do this job,” mentions in this book.) This book, however, can still be a great illustration of fire life. Johnny, who is a city kid, was used to seeing the big city fire station near his home. When he went to stay with his aunt in the country, he got to see a volunteer fire department for the first time.

As the book moves along, Johnny watches all of the volunteer firemen (yes, men) leave their jobs when the fire whistle sounds and rush to the fire department. Johnny is pleased to learn that he can, in fact, be a hardware store man like his Daddy and still be a firefighter as well. It’s really just a cute story to illustrate the fact that, in small country towns, the fire station is not manned at all times. They don’t sleep and live there for twenty-four hour shifts. They live their lives, work their jobs and fight those fires. For any family who has a volunteer firefighter in their ranks, or really any firefighter, this vintage book is a cute way to talk about the difference in station types.

I’m so glad that we were given this book. Sure, it’s a cute story. Sure, it’s a piece of firefighting history. But, mostly, it’s a book that my father-in-law was given by his loving aunt. FireDad’s father went on to be a volunteer firefighter for years. And now my sons have the book. I wonder if the fire service is in their blood as well. I wonder if we’ll pass this book on to their children someday.

Whatever they turn out to be, hardware store men or firefighters or writers (!) or doctors, I do hope to pass this piece of family history on should they bless me with grandchildren. (Remember that BigBrother just informed me that he’s having 40 children.)

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[I have some great reviews of fire books coming up over the next few weeks, including a gem for Thanksgiving! As always, if you come across any great fire books in your trips to the library or the store, please let me know. We love suggestions from our readers!]