Rescue Squad No. 9

MIKE AUSTIN is an award-winning illustrator and graphic designer who lives in Seattle with his wife, illustrator Jing Jing Tsong, and their two kids. He spends most of his time creating illustrations for his clients or working on his children s books.

Following Fire Engine No. 9 (2015), Austin looks at maritime emergency vehicles.In Austin' s second No. 9 book, the youngest readers find a gripping, exciting ocean rescue conducted by a mixed-race, mixed-gender team using intriguing vehicles and tools: helicopter and boat, with assists from the lighthouse and trucks on the dock. The crew seems to be going through its ordinary duties when the weather changes and a distress call comes in. The text is minimal: words repeat and appear in typeface that increases in size to convey urgency: "MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! // GO! GO! GO!" Bold, graphically splashy artwork captures the stormy, swelling sea and the rescue in motion. A sailboat has crashed against rocks with a sailor and dog on board. Dramatic tension is heightened when horizontal scenes switch to vertical when the helicopter drops the Billy Pugh basket to pick up the stranded boaters. Never heard that term before? Don't worry: endpapers feature the pieces of equipment and their names. All's well that ends well. The squad gets the duo safely to shore as the sun comes out. An endnote includes tips for caregivers on water safety, and readers already savvy about the subject will be pleased to see that both the sailor and the dog are wearing life jackets. "Hooray! Hooray!" (Picture book. 2-5) Kirkus Reviews (Starred Reivew) 6/1/16

The first responders assembled at their coastal headquarters are keeping watch from the lighthouse, tidying up the rescue boat, and loading medical supplies into the helicopter when a storm hits and the distress call comes in: SOS . . . MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! Then it s GO! GO! GO! as the teams scurry into action. The helicopter takes off into the blackening sky and the boat speeds off into the chop. HELP! HELP! and BARK! BARK! BARK! cry the woman and her dog, their sailboat run aground. The helicopter rescuer splashes down and assists the pair into a basket, which lifts them up to safety; as the storm begins to dissipate, the boat picks up