Sing Out Fire Safety. (Also available in French as Chantons la Prévention). Mary Lambert. Kingston, ON: Mary Lambert Productions (682 Summerfield Place, K7M 8A1 or www.marylambertmusic.com), 2002. 40 min., CD, $15.99. Subject Heading: Fire prevention-Songs and music-Juvenile sound recordings. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4-8. Review by Gail Hamilton. *** /4
	Sing Out Fire Safety. Mary Lambert. Kingston, ON: Mary Lambert Productions (682 Summerfield Place, K7M 8A1 or www.marylambertmusic.com), 2002. 60 min., VHS, $20.00. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4-8. Review by Gail Hamilton. *** /4

excerpt:

There are certain things that children should never touch
‘Cause touching them may burn and hurt you very much
Matches, lighters, heaters, or a bubbling coffee pot
Stoves and irons too because they may be very HOT.
(Lyrics from “Sparky’s Funky Dance”)

Juno award nominee Mary Lambert engages her audience of youngsters and their parents in a one-hour video of her live concert presentation. Through nine songs, interspersed with mini-lessons, Lambert educates her audience about several aspects of fire safety. Dressed in a brightly patterned outfit, Lambert covers topics such as the stop, drop and roll technique, smoke alarms, the use of a fire extinguisher, matches and lighters as tools, not toys, and the importance of every family’s having a fire safety plan and an escape route should a fire break out in their home. In addition to her catchy tunes whose actions invite audience participation, Lambert uses props and short skits, some with the help of friends or volunteers from the audience, to get her point across. In one example, Lambert has two firemen come up on stage, one dressed in his regular uniform, and the other in his firefighting equipment. They explain the purpose of the mask, special gloves, breathing apparatus, helmet, etc. Lambert succeeds in delivering a very important message. She has a good rapport with youngsters and sustains their interest throughout her concert by using a variety of presentation techniques. The 60-minute video might be a bit too long for very young children, but teachers could choose to show only a portion of the video at one sitting. On the CDs, available both in English and French, there are two extra songs which are not included in the concert video. Each CD is approximately 40 minutes long. Lyrics are provided. The French version of the CD won the “Parent’s Choice Award” in the U.S. in 2002. A good video and CD for kids up to about seven or eight years of age, but a bit too juvenile for kids any older.

Recommended.

Gail Hamilton is a teacher-librarian at Bird’s Hill School in East St. Paul, MB.

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