Fire Truck vs. Dragon

by Chris Barton, Shanda McCloskey (Illustrator)

Can a Fire Truck and a Dragon be friends? Find out in this new companion to the household favorite Shark vs. Train!

It's the wackiest rivalry ever, when the fire-breathing ruler of the skies and the fearless fire truck go head to head in an epic battle of fire vs water! Who will win?

But wait, is it actually a competition?

Their rivalry takes unexpected turns as these two unlikely friends face off at a campfire, a birthday party, and more with unexpected results. Who will you root for?
With playful illustrations and charming text, Fire Truck vs Dragon gives readers an unexpected twist on a would-be rivalry, turned friendship.

Genres: Picture Books, Dragons, Humor, Storytime, Childrens, Friendship, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

I'm the author of picture books including WE MATCH! (2025), bestseller SHARK VS. TRAIN, Sibert Honor-winning THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS, and WHOOSH! LONNIE JOHNSON'S SUPER-SOAKING STREAM OF INVENTIONS, which has been celebrated on 21 state reading lists.

Other well-known titles of mine include 88 INSTRUMENTS, HOW TO MAKE A BOOK (ABOUT MY DOG), FIRE TRUCK VS. DRAGON, DAZZLE SHIPS, THE AMAZING AGE OF JOHN ROY LYNCH, and WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT?

My newest books include GLITTER EVERYWHERE! WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHERE IT'S FOUND & WHERE IT'S GOING (one of National Public Radio's "Books We Love" for 2023) and MOVING FORWARD: FROM SPACE-AGE RIDES TO CIVIL RIGHTS SIT-INS WITH AIRMAN ALTON YATES (a School Library Journal Best Book of 2022).

I visit schools by the score and also love speaking to professional gatherings of librarians, educators, and fellow writers.

I'm married to middle-grade/YA novelist Jennifer Ziegler (WORSER, HOW NOT TO BE POPULAR). Jennifer and I have four adult children and one dog, and we co-host the children’s literature video series “This One’s Dedicated to…” in which we talk with other authors and illustrators about the dedications they’ve written for their books.

Jennifer and I live in Austin, where I serve as vice president of the Texas Institute of Letters, a 501(c)(3) non-profit honor society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and to recognize distinctive literary achievement.

For more information about me, please visit www.chrisbarton.info or linktr.ee/bartography.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorably veers from the competitive theme of the first book and instead hilariously shows how Firetruck and Dragon use their other various non-obvious talents. Several laugh out loud moments for both kids and adults.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered that jokes based on subverted expectations do not work on 3 year olds.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this one. I thought the concept was really clever but the execution of the story felt a little random. And it took me half-way through the book to catch on to the running joke of it all.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm halfway from liking it to *really* liking it, but I have this thing about authors picking low-hanging fruit when it comes to picture book topics. This is the guy who did Shark vs. Train, which I didn't read but I know was wildly popular. So when I see Fire Truck vs. Dragon, of course I'm going to be skeptical. I get that children's book authors have to capitalize on a trend when it gets popular. You gotta make a living. But it doesn't mean I have to respect the books themselves. HOWEVER, Barton does an interesting thing here in delaying the obvious until the very end. I would have LOVED it if he had NEVER STATED the obvious, but that might be asking a bit too much of the common man. So, anyway, he picked the low-hanging fruit, but he made a nice fruit salad out of it at least.

[Literary Strawberry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understood the joke for the dragon part-- they kept setting up scenarios to make the kids and readers think he's going to blow fire (like pulling out a bag of marshmallows and saying "... You can guess why everyone loves having us at campfires!", or holding up a birthday cake with a bunch of unlit candles), and then he does something else (like making shadow puppets for stories around the campfire or blindfolding kids to hit the piñata at the birthday party), to the frustration of the kids/reader stand-ins-- but I never really got the point of having the firetruck there. None of the proposed scenarios really needed him. I guess the kids were just hoping to see him put out the fire after the dragon lit it? But for cases like the birthday party, if the dragon really did light the candles you wouldn't actually want the firetruck to put those out. Idk, I just feel like it would have made more sense to only have the dragon, and it kind of seems like they were only contriving to have both so they could say it's a sequel to Shark vs Train

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on thegraduatedbookworm.com

First, I would like to thank Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review! This was such a cute and funny story about two very different characters.

I think this would be great for children who are a bit older that would understand the pictures where there's no dialogue happening, but also could be teacher/parent led.


I also Loved the illustrations in the book, they were super vibrant and definitely something children would want to stare at all day!

Overall this was a super funny and entertaining children's book and I definitely think this would be something that everyone would enjoy reading or listening to!

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you think happens when Fire truck and Dragon get together? What do you think they are REALLY good at? Well, the kids in this story don't seem to be impressed by what Fire truck or Dragon are doing at all.

If you've read Chris Barton's other vs. story, you'll have expectations going into this. If you know anything about dragons or fire trucks, you'll have expectations going into this. But get prepared to have the characters totally mess with your expectations. This would be a great picture book to practice making predictions and then revising those predictions. Barton had fun and let his imagination run with this one. A good pick for dragon lovers, vehicle lovers, and humor fans.

[Villa Park Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Dragon makes s’mores with one exhale, Fire Truck is ready to extinguish the campfire fun. This duo seems like they would be at odds with each other. But really, they’re just an odd pair of battling buddies. This wacky and heartwarming picture book will have you examine three main elements: water, fire, and friendship.

Check this book out at the Villa Park Public Library!

[Kayla Fleshman]

I liked this book because it shows that people are more than their stereotypes. Obviously, throughout the entire book, you think that they will use their fire and water abilities to fight, but instead, they get along and have a lot of fun doing other activities. I would bring this into my classroom because it is really fun and the illustrations are similar to a comic book, but I also think that it would be a good lesson on not assuming what someone likes or is good at based upon their race or looks.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the humor in this (some might be more funny for adults/older kids than it is for youngers). A firetruck and dragon gather together to "show us the thing they're so good at" (the assumption is that this is a fire/water battle of sorts). But all of the talents they demonstrate are totally unrelated to what we're expecting (ie: telling scary stories at a campout, bringing potato salad to a barbecue, etc). The staring contest page was funny!

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expectation doesn't meet reality for three children, a dragon and a firetruck. The children do not understand why Dragon is creating shadow puppets with Firetruck's lights when they want him to roast marshmallows. And why is Firetruck taking snow cones from kids on hot summer days instead of spraying water?

Kids will enjoy explaining what Dragon and Firetruck should be doing. Suggested for storytime.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very silly book about the friendship of a dragon and a firetruck and all their unexpected talents.

Good to talk about ahead of time and ask kids what they THINK the firetruck and the dragon are good at and how they would be competing.

The silliness in the story comes from defying that prediction while putting the characters in a bunch of settings where the prediction seems right.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dragon and a fire truck-- cute right? Yes, the pictures were cute and fun and kids will love the fact that Dragon and Fire Truck just can't seem to understand that what they want to see is the FIRE and WATER! Not their famous firehouse beans or free-range potato salad!

Kids who enjoy silly stories, dragons, fire trucks, and speech bubbles will enjoy this book.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dragon and Firetruck are really really good friends. They, after all, are both really good at something. Open up this one and see what they can do.

I totally get what the author was doing, but I am not sure if a kid would. I want to read this one to a kid and see if they infer and predict correctly.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A follow-up the Barton’s Shark vs. Train, this brightly-colored pairing of Fire Truck and Dragon will engage readers with their banter via word bubbles and cause great anticipation as each page is turned.

[Melissa Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an adorable book about a friendship between a dragon and a fire truck. The premise of the book is about what each are good at. The presumption being fire and water. This was adorable and comical. My niece loves dragons and I think she will love this

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this a 3.5 star review. Shark vs. Train by Barton is a favorite at my library. I'm thinking this one will be too! The story allows readers to interact, by having the characters ask questions. I love the fun and bright illustrations!

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really thought that this was a cute book. I ended up reading to my first grade class who also liked it. I thought that the story had a good storyline. We shouldn't just judge people or things on who they look. Everyone and everything is different. I would recommend this book to others!!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love funny picture books, and in this one we have the unlikely friendship between fire truck and dragon. And all the adoring public wants to see is a fire fight. Cute and clever, but it went over the head of my 4 year old, so might have to try again in a couple of years.

[Mama C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firetruck and Dragon are best friends and they have lots of special skills that make them great at campouts and barbecues! But they might not be the skills you're thinking of. Even the grownups will get a chuckle out of this read!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout the entire book the online kids hope for the dragon and the fire truck to shoot fire and water at each other, but instead they show how they are a dynamic duo in other ways. So funny and creative! I love the camping.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love subverted/ fractured interpretations. This is not what the blurb or cover promise, exactly. It's much funnier. Don't read it with children too young or distracted. Look at the kids in the pictures.

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A silly book about a dragon vs a fire truck. They share all the things they are good at EXCEPT the obvious making fires and putting them out. Better for lower elementary kids that will get the jokes.

[Billie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Shark vs. Train and its clever "twist" at the end. This follow-up, while cute, is not quite as much fun as its older sibling.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fun :)

[dndgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those kids were understandably irritated. All they wanted was to see some fire!

[Jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slyly funny.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spot on for all those children who love vehicles and dragons.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but a little hard to follow. The cleverness was not obvious enough.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fighting fire with water who will win?