Elephant Joe, Brave Firefighter! (Step into Reading Comic Reader Series)

by David Wojtowycz

Overview

This Step 2 Step into Reading Comic Reader is full of dragons, firefighting, and birthday cake! In this action-packed early reader, Elephant Joe stars as a brave firefighter with his trusty sidekick, Zebra Pete. While camping, they save a hapless dragon from a tree, then must put out a fire when he sets his birthday cake ablaze! Witty asides and clever dialogue add to the hilarity in this comical adventure from British author-illustrator David Wojtowycz.
 
Step 2 Readers use basic vocabulary and short sentences to tell simple stories, for children who recognize familiar words and can sound out new words with help.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385374064
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/26/2015
Series:	Step into Reading Book Series: A Step 2 Book
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	538,346
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

DAVID WOJTOWYCZ has illustrated dozens of books for children, many of which he has also written—such as the myriad adventures of Elephant Joe and A Cuddle for Claude, which inspired an animated television series in England, where the books were originally published. One of David’s most successful books is Rumble in the Jungle, written by Giles Andreae.

Editorial Reviews

2015-02-16
Animal friends save the day when a dragon's birthday party gets out of hand in this graphic-novel addition to the venerable Step into Reading line. Elephant Joe and Zebra Pete hide in the bushes so they can jump out to surprise their friend Dragon. However, instead of appreciating the birthday surprise, Dragon flies into a tree and becomes entangled in the branches. The two friends suddenly turn into firefighters, complete with a ladder truck, for the rescue. After saving him, the friends present the birthday cake, but Dragon sets it afire while blowing out the candles. With no fire hydrant for water, Dragon picks up Elephant Joe and flies to a lake, where the pachyderm's handy trunk sucks up water to save the day. While the cartoon illustrations will draw young readers in, the story is hard to follow. How did these two buddies instantaneously become firefighters? It might be a game of pretend, but to literal-minded young readers, that premise will be unclear. Though the speech bubbles are fun, including a frog who seems to act as narrator is another point of confusion, as it's not always clear from its dialogue whether it's interacting with the characters or describing the action. For a comic-book early-reader to succeed, the speech bubbles and graphic elements need to make sense. The digital art is colorful and amusing, with the animals' expressions and eye movements telling much of the story. A visual muddle makes for an early-reader fail. (Early reader. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews

06/01/2015
K-Gr 2—Elephant Joe and Zebra Pete are hiding from their friend Dragon at summer camp. They are trying to surprise him for his birthday. Instead, "Dragon was so surprised, he flew up a tree!" and gets stuck in the branches. The story continues through large panels as Joe and Pete rescue Dragon by becoming firefighters. Each frame creates excitement as they get uniforms, and a fire truck, all to help disentangle Dragon. The story flows well and will entertain new readers as Dragon gets rescued and can finally celebrate his birthday. However when Dragon gets ready to blow out his candles, he "breathes fire instead!" Elephant Joe attempts to put out the fire with a hose but is informed "There are no hydrants in the forest," so Elephant Joe must use his trunk to save the day. Speech bubbles and captions create emphasis for the easy text as spirited characters inhabit each page. Cartoon illustrations are playful and bold; fans Giles Andreae's Rumble in the Jungle and Commotion in the Ocean (both Tiger Tales, 2001) will be drawn to the merry characters. VERDICT A dandy addition to emergent reader collections.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

School Library Journal