The Fire Cat

by Esther Averill

Book Overview

Pickles the fire cat to the rescue This I Can Read book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It's a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activity books for children.

Pickles is a young cat with big paws who wishes to do big things with them When he's adopted by the local firehouse, Pickles works hard to be a good fire cat. He learns to jump on a fire truck...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064440389
• ISBN13: 9780064440387
• Release Date: September 1983
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

My daughter's first real chapter book

My daughter (she's six) just finished reading this book herself, out loud to me at bedtime. It took her four or five nights to read the three short chapters. In the middle of the book, when Pickles the cat has a small triumph, she said "it makes me cry!" and at the end she said "I wish it just kept going". I felt so glad for her to have the experience of what it's like to read a good book - these are the feelings that make one a real book lover for life! Like another recent reviewer I thought the pictures a little crude but the cats were remarkably cat-like; there was no effort to make them cute or cuddley. Yet, perhaps because of that simplicity, Pickles invokes a strong sense of feeling/identification as the he "grows" into a better cat through the three short chapters. I think this was the perfect book for my daughter to read at this time. Just challenging enough, a great story and illustrations that work very well with the story. I'm also am glad to find a good children's book that's NOT about a boy (though Pickles IS a "he"); I'm sure all parents with daughters know that the vast majority of kid's books are about boy hero (yes I know there are some excellent exceptions) so a wonderful book that's not about a boy is a great find.

My childhood depended on it!

I had a flashback to this book the other day. Who could forget Pickles the cat with big paws and big things to do... I bought it and read it to my niece and nephew. JOY!

A true American Hero

Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but Fire Cat was one of the first books I read as a child. I was thrilled when I found a beat-up copy at a garage sale a few years ago, thinking I had the last copy on earth. Then, working in a local bookstore, I saw it was still in print. How cool is that? Very cool, my friends, very cool.I highly recommend this for your favorite little people. It teaches that everyone has goodness within them, if given a chance.

One of THE classic early reader books

This is the first book I can clearly recall reading on my own (I'm 39). My Dad used to read it to me, and one day I read it to him. I remember him proudly calling my Mom into the room to hear me read it from cover to cover. I recently discovered a copy at the "used books for sale" section of my library, and excitedly rushed home to read it to my five year old. He loves it. This is a conceptually brilliant book for children. This is a great book for several reasons. First, it teaches the virtues of kindness and hard work. Second, it has superbly crafted simple sentence construction, and it's written to facilitate early reading by using word and concept repetition. Third, it has great illustrations and easy-to-read type. It also has three chapters, which was a new concept for my son.This is one of the all time great early reader books. If there is an early reader in you life, get it for him or her!