From Hydrant to Hero

Lou
Written & Illustrated by Breanna Carzoo
Age Level: 2-4 Years
Published July 12, 2022

Sometimes I surprise myself.

Lou is a little red fire hydrant who completely misunderstands his purpose in life. All day, every day, the neighborhood pets stroll by and relieve themselves on him, so he thinks he is merely a toilet. While Lou muses that deep down inside he believes he’s filled with greatness and destined to do something important, a fire is starting in an apartment behind him. Firefighters rush to the scene, and Lou quickly discovers that he was right about himself. Inside he has what it takes to be a hero.

“I know I’m useful.
It’s just that sometimes…
deep down inside, I feel like there’s more in me than what they can see.”

This story is really fun because there are two different narratives happening simultaneously: Lou’s verbal narrative about his untapped potential, and the visual storyline unbeknownst to him of the growing fire in the background. It’s crafted with expert simplicity so young readers will fully understand how the plot is unfolding and be very engaged in the building suspense.

I also really appreciate the purposeful representation of the book’s characters; people are shown with a broad range of skin tones, the team of firefighters is all female, and both a human and a dog are shown using wheelchairs. All in all, this little story gives you a lot to cheer about.