Miss Mingo and the Fire Drill    by Jamie Harper Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2009 (2009) Hardcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch The new school year has just started and Miss Mingo's class must learn what to do in the event of a fire. Alligator, Panda, Octopus, and the rest of the students are going to have to master the rules of fire safety and learn how to vacate the classroom during a fire drill. Talking about a fire is a bit nerve wracking for all the creatures and each one reacts a little differently when he senses danger. Fire Chief Grizzly Bear's visit to the school doesn't really put the uneasy students' minds at rest. In fact, his walking into the room in all his fire gear scares some of students. But, fortunately, when the day of the fire drill arrives, everyone performs perfectly and vacates the building just as they were supposed to. Besides exposing youngsters to the basic rules of fire drill safety, the author also includes some interesting tidbits about animal behavior. Young readers will learn that an octopus will squirt a cloud of ink when it feels threatened and koalas howl and wail when they are upset. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews