Back Bay in Boston has a memorial for the Vendome Firefighters. It is on Commonwealth Avenue near the intersection of Dartmouth Street. I have passed by it many times on my way to work, but I don't know why.

When I posted pictures of the Boston Women's Memorial on Instagram, someone talked about it. I wanted to find out more about what they said.

Several yards from this memorial is where a monument was built in honor of the firefighters who died in the Hotel Vendome fire 25 years ago, on June 17, 1997. This monument was built in their memory. The cause of the first fire was unknown. The collapse of the building was blamed on a seven-inch steel column that had been overloaded. A new duct had been cut beneath the column, weakening its support. The weight of the firefighters and their equipment on the upper floors caused the column to break.

This is International Firefighter Day. It is on May 4. People around the world got an email about it on January 4, 1999. It came about because five firefighters died tragically when they tried to save trees in a bushfire in Australia at the end of that year.

How are you? No, I didn't notice them until recently. If so, which books are your favorite for young people about firefighter. It was a great idea!

Children’s Books About Firefighters

Maisy’s Fire Engine by Lucy Cousins

In this cute board book, Maisy and her friend Cyril are trying to save a little cat who is stuck on the roof. It looks like a fire engine because it has a cut-out shape. It's a [board book, for ages 1 and up].

This is a Firefighter by Laura Godwin, illustrated by Julian Hector

It's a normal day at the firehouse until the bell rings, and the firefighters rush to put out a huge fire in a building that looks a lot like the Hotel Vendome, which is on fire. These people are brave enough to go into a burning building in order to save people, as well as rescue people who can't leave on their own.

Young people can get a sense of what it's like to be a firefighter through rhyming prose. Ages 2 and up: [Board book],

My Mom is a Firefighter by Lois G. Grambling illustrated by Jane Manning

Almost all firefighters are men, so they are the most common gender in the job. From the DataUSA site:

It wasn't that long ago that women were discouraged from becoming firefighters, but things have changed now. My home town is near Boston, and there are only sixteen female firefighters. Picture book: Billy's mom is a firefighter, and she has her family at home and in the fire house.

Both of them are raising Billy, and both of them are making him want to become a firefighter too. picture book for ages 4 and up

Fireman Small by Wong Herbert Yee

As told in rhyming verse, Fireman Small is tucked into bed when the alarm goes off at the fire house. Take the cat down from the tree. He goes to bed, but then he has to run out to save a bunny from a well. A big fire will be the last rescue for the night, and it will be the last one.

Fireman Small goes to bed, but there are people at the door of the fire house. It's all the people who are grateful for being rescued. This is a cute picture book about everyday heroes with wacky pictures. picture book for ages 4 and up

The Little Fire Engine by Lois Lenski

Firefighters are mostly white, making them the most common race or ethnicity in the job. 7.77 percent of Firefighters are Black, which makes them the second most common race or ethnicity in this job. From the DataUSA site:

Here's another Fireman Small in Lois Lenski's picture book. She talks about how the fire engine works and how the fireman helps people who are stuck in a house that's on fire.

This book, which was written in 1946, shows a group of all white male firefighters. That hasn't changed much. picture book for ages 4 and up

I’m a Firefighter by Mary Packard, illustrated by Julie Durrell

This is how it works: A little boy plays "firefighter" with his toy set. Then, he grabs his water hose and sprays down a "fire." Dad is only at the bbq. With very few words, this easy reader still tells a funny story! It's a "easy reader" for people ages 6 and up.

Richard Scarry’s Smokey the Fireman

People who look like Richard Scarry are in this easy reader about firefighters and pie. It's like Smokey the Fireman and Katey Kitty go on two separate adventures at the same time. It's a "easy reader" for people ages 6 and up.

Marley: Firehouse Dog by Caitlin Birch (based on the bestselling books by John Grogan), illustrated by Lydia Halverson

He gets into trouble at the firehouse while his human family is taking a tour. Even though he causes a lot of trouble with his exploration, he still gets the honor of being the firedog mascot. It's a "easy reader" for people ages 6 and up.

Fire at the Triangle Factory by Holly Littlefield, illustrated by Mary O’Keefe Young

It's hard for an Italian American Catholic girl and a Jewish girl to be friends in 1911, so Minnie and Tessa aren't very likely to be friends. But they are both 14 years old and work together as sewing operators in a dangerous factory.

It was the deadliest industrial disaster in New York City history when a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Their friendship and quick thinking kept them from dying in the blaze. A book for kids ages 6 and up:

Firefighter Frank by Monica Wellington

A day with Frank: Readers see him work at the firehouse, visit a school to teach safety lessons, and go to the scene of a fire with his coworkers.

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