WHAT'S UP, FIRE TRUCK?

Tour and toy in one, a compact introduction to firefighting gear that then unfolds completely and refolds into a ladder truck.

Some assembly—of the “match up the two-dot tab with the two-dot slot” sort—is required to work the transformation, but there are written instructions, a picture of the finished product on the slipcase, and even an online video to assist the manually clueless. While the toy is still a book, the diverse cast of cartoon firefighters, plus resident cat and Dalmatian, invites diapered digerati to view protective gear, hoses, and other equipment stowed on the truck beneath flaps and flip other flaps to “dress [one] in protective clothes,” draping layers over a green undershirt and trading in bunny slippers for boots. Pulling one tab lifts a ladder, and another waves a hose over a small pile of burning leaves (“Some fires are big, and some are quite small. / For this one we don’t need much water at all!”). Much of the gear is unlabeled, which provides opportunity for “do you know what that’s called?” interactions to go with reading the rhymed text. It’s all printed on stock heavy enough to survive repeated foldings and refoldings (though some of the individual flaps may not last that long), and the slipcase is sturdy as well.

Clever paper engineering adds an extra bit of magic to this firehouse visit.