Good reads: A book, play mat and fire engine...all in one!

 Joash just received a new book from my bro & sis-in-law for his belated birthday present and it's AWESOME!

Called the Convertible Fire Engine, written by Amy Johnson,and published by Miles Kelly Publishing, the book is pretty large and consists of 6 panels + the cover. Each panel is a pretty tough and thick cardboard panel and they are connected by a little sliver of fabric to give it the flexibility to transform into a fire engine. 

The story is simple - about a fire engine that travels through town to put out a fire and the people / buildings they pass by on the way; but the book presents so many fun options to read and play. We opened it out into a playmat, and Joash immediately got his little die cast fire engine to travel the streets as we read the book (and continued playing after we finished the story :)). The play mat is a good size and can accommodate more cars, which means Josiah and Joanie can join in the fun too!

And for even more fun, the book transforms into a step-in fire engine very easily and stays in shape with the help of a few velcro straps.  

Look how happy my little fireman is! 

There's no seat though, so Joash is just sitting on the floor but you can always put in a little stool. I do like that there's an openable door (on Joash's right), which makes it easy to get in and out of the fire engine. ​
​

And of course, you can still flip it like a book!

​You can order this book on Book Depository (with free delivery to Singapore!) and they have many other awesome options like the Convertible Spaceship, Convertible Bulldozer and Convertible Princess Carriage etc. Just be prepared to wait quite long for it...this book was ordered as his birthday present (in Jan) and he only just received it. :P