*I received a free copy of this book, with thanks to the author and Graeme Williams of Graeme Williams Marketing. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: The first book in a brand new chapter book series.
When two young dragons accidentally set fire to The Witchy Wood, firefighting unicorn, Blaze, and her emergency vehicle, Quench, race to the scene. As they struggle to get everyone to safety and stop the flames from spreading, a witch called Jinx decides her magical abilities are exactly the help they need to stop the inferno. But Jinx’s magic only spells one thing…DISASTER, and soon the flames are raging towards a treehouse full of powerful potions. Can Blaze and Quench get everyone out before the whole of Witchy Wood goes up in smoke?
Illustrated by Steve Wood.
The first thing I want to mention about this chapter book for children is how very bright and colourful the illustrations are throughout! Steve Wood’s cartoonish characters pop with vibrant and vivid effect and really catch the eye.
In terms of story and characters, I was reminded very much of my own children’s favourite cartoon animal heroes, the Paw Patrol, but with unicorns instead of puppies, and the vehicles in Tracy Curran’s magical universe are sentient and help with the emergencies too.
Main character Blaze has to battle an out-of-control fire accidentally started by two young dragons, but she also has to battle her own temper as others around her keep making things worse, despite the best of intentions.
Here’s what Babybows (9) and Minishine (12) made of the book:
Babybows: I think this is really sweet! It reminds me of a mix of the different comic books I like to read, where there are explosions like in Bunny vs. Monkey, a cool animal hero like in Dog Man, they are ALL animals like in Happy Hills. But in this story I learnt to be careful around magic potions and don’t mess with naughty dragons!
Minishine: Magic potions and dragons aren’t really real! Actually, it teaches you about fires, fire safety, what firefighters do and how to stay calm in an emergency.
Babybows: And not to cast spells if you’re rubbish at doing magic!
Minishine: I feel like I am a bit old for this one now but I think it would be perfect for 4-8 year olds.
Babybows: Yes, cos it teaches you to be safe with fires at a younger age.
Minishine: And I LOVED unicorns when I was younger so I bet others might too.
So there you go: not only does this educational adventure story teach you more about fire safety and the role of a firefighter, and how to keep your temper when things are getting hot, it also teaches you the importance of magic potion and dragon safety, and to avoid performing magic you are unqualified for.
Plus, who doesn’t LOVE unicorns at ANY age?!
Purchase Link: Unicorns in Uniforms: Dragon Inferno on Amazon
About the author
Tracy writes picture books, young fiction and funny middle-grade.
She was a primary school teacher for sixteen years and is now a carer for her autistic daughter.
At around the age of three, Tracy fell into a storybook and discovered a world of magic! As a result, you’ll now find her immersed in the pages of another imagined world or running along the beach, conjuring up her own story ideas. Her pile of books is taller than she is!
Tracy lives on the Cornish coast with her husband, three children, five rabbits, four chickens and one dog.
Blog: https://www.thebreadcrumbforest.com/
X/Twitter: https://x.com/writercornish
