Wednesday, May 4, 2016

A FIRE TRUCK NAMED RED by Randall De Seve / Blog Tour: Interview

Happy National Fire Fighters Day!


 To celebrate today's Fire Fighter day, and the release of A FIRE TRUCK NAMED RED, we not only have author Randall De Seve on the blog, we have two fire fighters, who stopped by to answer some of Randall's questions. These two fire fighters also happen to be my brothers! 



There's a fire station right next door to the grocery store I go to almost every day. And every time I shop, I look at the station and think about how grateful I am for the fire fighters. I'm also kind of in awe. Fire fighters. I mean, really, who does such a thing? Brave, selfless, really strong people. That's who.

That's who helped spark A FIRE TRUCK NAMED RED. And that's who I'm speaking with today. Introducing, Tom and Brad, brothers, firefighters, and real-life superheroes. Thank you, guys, for answering my questions.


When did you first know you wanted to be a fire fighters? Why?


When we were growing up we knew we wanted to be fire fighters. We always liked going to the fire station with our dad, who was a fire fighter, and seeing the fire trucks. 


Did you play with toy fire trucks or play fire fighters when you were a child?


Yes! Fire trucks are the best toys. We had a collection of hot wheels fire trucks, and as well as the firetruck trucks that had working lights and sirens. Today, one of the things we love about being fire fighters is riding on the fire truck. 


Even though you're called a fire fighter, you do a whole lot more than that. What else does a fire fighter do?


Tom - At the station I'm at, we also run the ambulances. We not only run the fire trucks, we do the emergency services as well. We fight fire fires, help those who are hurt or sick, and also teach public service about fire safety. 


Brad - We also do all medical calls, car wrecks, help people, pick people up who fall and need help getting up. If anyone needs help, they call us, and we help them. 

What's the scariest or most exciting emergency you've experienced?


What makes our job exciting, is that we get to help people and every call we get is different. What may seem exciting to someone else, is not as exciting for us, because we focus the tasks we need to do, because it's our job.  All fires are different, and they each have their own challenges. We're trained to be able to fight them with each of the challenges they have. 


You have to be very strong to be a fire fighter. How do you stay strong? How much does your equipment weigh?


 
We focus on staying healthy and in shape. We work out every day we're at work, and we try and work out when we're not on shift. The equipment we wear going into a fire weighs about 100 pounds.

Do you worry about your brother doing his job? Does your family worry about you?


No we don't worry about each other, because we know we've both had really good training, and we know that each is a really good fire fighter. We're sure our family does worry, because that's what family does. When we're on a call, we're really safe, and we all look out for each other. Everyone at the fire station is pretty much like family. We all watch out for each other.


I often see the fire fighters in our neighborhood shopping for groceries. Does your squad cook meals together? What's your squad's favorite meal? 


We have living quarters at the fire station, where we sleep and eat while we're on shift. We do cook meals together. We each take turns cooking meals. One person is charge of cooking for the day, and we all pitch in to cover the cost of the food. We love getting our protein, and vegetables. Being a firefighter in Texas, we love to grill, and grill anything we can. The key with our meals to keep them healthy and balanced. Some stations there are 4 of us we cook for, and some there are 8 of us. It depends on which station we're working at.


Being brothers, do you get to work together at the same station?


No, we don't. We work a few hours away from each other. Brad works for a big city fire department in Texas, and Tom works for fire department in a fast growing East, Texas city.


What advice can you give children who want to be fire fighters when they grow up?


Have a willingness to help others, and work hard is key to being a firefighter. You also have to learn to work well with others. This is a job based on working hard and helping others, and working together. It's a team effort to fight fires, and to help others. 


And you also have to study hard, get good grades, and work hard to be a successful fire fighter. We're always learning. Don't do things that will get you in trouble, especially with the law. That can keep you from working as a firefighter. 


ABOUT THE BOOK

Written by: Randall De Seve

Illustrated by: Bob Staake
Published by: Macmillan Kids
Released on: May 3rd, 2016 - TODAY!
Purchase from: The Publisher | Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads

A young boy has his heart set on a brand-new toy fire truck, so he is disappointed when he gets his grandfather's rusty old truck, Red, instead. But working together, the boy and his grandfather patch Red right up while Grandpa tells his grandson all about the adventures he had with Red when he was a boy. 


Starred reviews for A FIRE TRUCK NAMED RED

"De Sève and Staake are an inspired pairing, and the brisk storytelling and funny segues give the graphic, posterlike images a deep warmth and narrative energy." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Staake and de Sève are a perfect match in this intergenerational tale that puts value on experience, memories, and time spent together. An absolute delight." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Randall de Seve is the New York Times bestselling author of Toy Boat, The Duchess of Whimsy, and Mathilda and the Orange BalloonHer newest book, A Fire Truck Named Red, illustrated by Bob Staake, is on sale now. ​She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, two daughters and a very wicked dog named Henry Biscuit. Learn more about her at randalldeseve.com

Star Wars Read Along Books / Book Reviews #MayThe4thBeWithYou #StarWars


In honor of today's STAR WARS DAY,  grab your favorite Star Wars book, and dive in to a galaxy far, far away. Disney's Star Wars Read-Along books are perfect for Star Wars fans young and old.


Star Wars Read-Along Storybook and CD, Book Reviews



A must have for fans of the Star Wars series. Each book in this series follows the story from each of the Star Wars movies, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Each books has illustrations featuring images from each of the original movies, and a cd featuring character voices and sound effects. These books are perfect for reading along with, or just listening to. These books are great for fans of all ages. I highly recommend picking these ones up, as well as the other books in this series! 



About the Book: Star Wars: A New Hope 

Experience Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope like never before! Fully illustrated with gorgeous images by Star Wars artist Brian Rood, this epic storybook also includes a CD with word-for-word narration, music, and character voices. Follow along as Luke Skywalker meets Obi-Wan Kenobi, rescues Princess Leia, and faces Darth Vader for the first time.

This book is the perfect way to introduce a young fan to Star Wars. It's also a great book to add to any elementary school library or classroom library.

Released on February 10th, 2015 from Lucas Film Press, Stars Wars: A New Hope is for ages 3 & up, and can be purchased from: Disney Books | Amazon | B&N & many retailers.



About the Book: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back 

Read along with Disney! The Rebellion faces its darkest hour in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Fully illustrated with gorgeous images by Star Wars artist Brian Rood, this epic storybook features word-for-word narration, music, and character voices. Follow along as Luke Skywalker trains with Yoda to become a Jedi and defeat the fearsome Darth 
Vader.

This book is a great follow up to A New Hope. Set for kids 6-8, it's an awesome continuation of the Star Wars series. This is also a great book to add to any elementary school library or classroom library.
Released on March 10th, 2015 from Lucas Film Press, Stars Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, is for ages 6 & up, and can be purchased from: Disney Books | Amazon | B&N & many retailers.

About the Book: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 

The Rebellion begins a desperate mission to defeat the Empire once and for all in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Fully illustrated with gorgeous images by Star Wars artist Brian Rood, this epic storybook also includes a CD with word-for-word narration, music, and character voices. Follow along as Luke Skywalker and the rest of the rebels take on the Empire’s deadliest weapon yet–a new Death Star.

Return of The Jedi, is a must have for readers who have enjoyed the first two books in the series. Set for readers 6 & older, this book wraps the the orginal Star Wars series perfectly. Like the previous two books in this series, it's also a great fit for elementary school libraries. 

Released on April 7th, 2015 from Lucas Film Press, Stars Wars: Return of the Jedi is for ages 6 & up, and can be purchased from: Disney BooksAmazon | B&N & many retailers.

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~