Sometimes at night, when I shut my eyes, I can hear the fire engine outside my window . . .
The nighttime noise of fire trucks melts into whimsical dreams of nocturnal heroes as a young girl
imagines what firefighters do when the rest of the world sleeps. King, Penelope, Almondine, and Bruce
are the characters who inhabit her musings, coming to the rescue when a dragon sets fire to the castle
and a boy launches himself into the night's stratosphere when jumping on his bed. No job is too big
for this cast!
With rich illustrations by Nicoletta Ceccoli and Dashka Slater's fantastical words,
Firefighters in the Dark is a dreamy nod to firefighters everywhere, be they on the
ground or climbing toward the darkening sky. The unique blend of enchantment and firefighting is
one that children will enjoy, and with its soothing qualities, Firefighters in the Dark is
sure to be a bedtime favorite.
"My son, at age three and four, was mad about firefighters and cultivated friendships
with the firefighters at one of our local fire stations," said Dashka Slater about the inspiration
for her book. She began writing when she was four, published her first poems and stories at age nine,
and has never wanted to do anything else. She lives in Oakland, California.
Nicoletta Ceccoli is the illustrator of many books for children, including The Village of
Basketeers and Horns and Wrinkles. Of working on Firefighters in the Dark, Nicoletta
said, "I tried to paint the firefighters larger than life — as seen through the eyes of a child —
and this allowed me to be fascinated by their courage and kindness, too." Nicoletta studied at the
Institute of Art in Urbino and lives in San Marino, Italy.
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