The Night Fire, by Ontario writer Lori Lukasewich, is a rhyming tale of a busy night at the local fire hall. With its behind-the-scenes look at what firefighters do before, during, and after going on a call, this story sheds light on the lives behind ever-popular fire trucks. Lukasewich’s story includes a good variety of activities to show what these men (and one woman) do when they’re not fighting fires: we see them preparing and cleaning up the trucks, playing cards, feeding the requisite fire hall Dalmatian, and getting some sleep.

Lukasewich’s illustration packs these scenes with plenty of domestic detail to keep attentive audiences engaged for several readings; this attention to detail, including a rubber-ducky lampshade and coins emptied from a pocket onto a bedside table, lends the firefighters human as well as heroic characteristics. She includes these touches in the fire scene as well, in which one of the inhabitants of the burning house clutches a goldfish in a bowl that she’s rescued from the flames. By showing the family, who have run from the house in their pyjamas to be comforted by concerned neighbours, Lukasewich acknowledges the impact the fire has on its victims, who are often forgotten in books that focus on the excitement of fighting fires.

Though the occasional near-rhyme and some slight irregularities in the meter may trip up some tongues, the book’s rhyme scheme will make for spirited reading and will appeal to audiences aged two to six. The fire trucks appear in enough scenes to keep aficionados happy, but true connoisseurs will notice that Lukasewich has used the classic style of vehicle that they won’t see in their neighbourhood fire hall.