Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Book Trailer on Mayra's Secret Bookcase and Pets and Their Authors Blogs

Thanks to Mayra's Secret Bookcase and Pet's and Their Authors blog for blogging about our new book trailer! Thanks to Mayra and Amigo for helping spread the fire safety message!

New Sparkles the Fire Safety Dogs' Fire Safety Champion's

High paw to the latest Sparkles the Fire Safety Dogs' Fire Safety Champions: Southborough Fire Department, Linda Hubley, Southborough News, Evonne Carawan, Kiyoko Czech, Susan Eicher Mamber, Wendy Nan Rees, Cappy, Mayra Calvani and Amigo! If you help spread the word about Sparkles and her fire safety efforts, you can become a Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Champion too! Just let us know what you have done to help spread the fire safety message!

To see the list of Sparkles the Fire Safey Dog Champion's, click on the picture of Sparkles.

New Updated Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Book Trailer

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog and I are pleased to share our brand new Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog book trailer! To date, we have sold over 10.000 copies of our children's fire safety book. This book trailer has surprises, including Sparkles assisting with a fire safety presentation. Enjoy!

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog and Firefighter Dayna to Share Fire Safety Tips on Sprout®

Yesterday Sprout released this press release!

SPROUT® CELEBRATES NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK WITH AWARD-WINNING FIREFIGHTER DAYNA HILTON AND SPARKLES THE FIRE SAFETY DOG

Week-Long Event on Sprout's Sunny Side Up Show Sponsored by State Farm® to Feature Exclusive, New CG-Animated Episodes of Fireman Sam™, Fire Safety Tips and More !

Philadelphia, PA – September 22, 2009 – /PRNewswire/ — Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, will celebrate National Fire Prevention Week on The Sunny Side Up Show with games, activities, crafts and preschool-friendly fire safety tips from award-winning firefighter Dayna Hilton and her trained Dalmatian, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog. Sponsored by State Farm, this special themed week on the live Sunny Side Up Show begins on Monday, October 5 at 9:00 a.m. E.T. and will also feature exclusive, new CG-animated episodes of Fireman Sam™.
Dayna and Sparkles will share fire safety tips such as:

· Get Low and Go – If you see or smell smoke, drop on all fours…the air is cleaner and cooler down by the floors…get low and go!
· Change Your Batteries – Time for change! The reason is safety. The fall season is when families change batteries in their smoke alarms again.
· Be Smart Before Fires Start – To stay safe, here's something you can do… stay away from hot things that can hurt you. Be smart before fires start!

"Illustrating simple, informative and life-saving messages in a fun and memorable way is what helps saves lives," said Dayna Hilton, firefighter, author and recipient of the 2009 National Fire Protection Association Educator of the Year Award. "Children under the age of five are more vulnerable to injury or death in a fire emergency than any other age group, so it's never too soon to start teaching your kids about fire safety."

"We're excited to be joining forces with Firefighter Dayna and our sponsor State Farm to share these important fire safety messages on Sprout," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming at Sprout. "Sprout is all about creating a fun, interactive experience for parents and kids to share together, so it's great when we have an opportunity to produce a noteworthy themed week like this on our live Sunny Side Up Show."

National Fire Prevention Week on Sprout wouldn't be complete without Fireman Sam, the Ultimate Hero Next Door. Fireman Sam has recently undergone a significant program refresh with the launch of this all new CG animated television series that features new characters, new seaside destinations and daring new rescue missions. Based in the picturesque town of Pontypandy, where they never seem to have a quiet day, Fireman Sam is often called to the rescue. Each episode communicates a valuable lesson for children regarding fire safety and social responsibility for the community. The new CG-animated episodes of Fireman Sam debuted exclusively in the US on Sprout this September.

For additional information on Sprout programs or schedules, or to play games, download free coloring pages or find great activities for kids, visit SproutOnline.com. To find out where Sprout is available in your area, call 1.8.SPROUT.411 or go to SproutPlease.com.

For more information on Firefighter Dayna, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog or the award-winning children's book, Sparkles The Fire Safety Dog, go to http://www.firehousedogpublishing.com/ or http://www.sparklesthefiresafetydog.com/.

About Sprout®
PBS KIDS Sprout, the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for kids ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers, was created as a partnership among Comcast Corporation, HIT Entertainment, PBS and Sesame Workshop. Since debuting its video on demand (VOD) service in April 2005, Sprout has become the #1 On Demand service for younger children, generating over half a billion views. The 24-hour digital channel, which launched in September 2005 along with the website (SproutOnline.com), is the only channel that follows the day of child from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive programming. Currently, Sprout is available in 47 million unique households.

The network's program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based children's shows includes: Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™, The Wiggles®, Thomas & Friends™, Angelina Ballerina™, Caillou®, The Berenstain Bears™, Dragon Tales™, Make Way For Noddy™, Fireman Sam™, Fifi and the Flowertots™ and more.
About State Farm®

State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and 68,600 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 78.7 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 31 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.

Author Dayna Hilton on Authors Read October 26th

Author Firefighter Hilton will be reading her award winning, life saving children's fire safety book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, on Authors Read October 26th.

Click here to learn more!

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Ranked #73,960 today on Amazon.com!

The children's book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog was ranked #73,960 today on Amazon.com!

Article from the March/April Issue of FIDO Friendly Magazine

Thanks to everyone at FIDO Friendly Magazine for sharing the file to an article that appeared about Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog in their March/April issue. As always, we appreciated FIDO Friendly Magazine helping us spread the fire safety message!

Click on the magazine cover to the right or click HERE to read the article.

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Book Review by DogSport Magazine

The nice folks at DogSport Magazine sent a copy of their review from May/June issue. Click on the picture of the cover to read the review.

Thanks to everyone at DogSport for the great review and for helping spread the fire safety message!

Pages from the Children's Fire Safety Book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog

Here's a sneak peek at a couple of pages from the children's fire safety book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog.

Be sure to visit our website to learn more about this life saving tool!

9/11 Memorial Service at the National Fire Academy

Wanted to share a link to a video of the memorial service at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg. Maryland that I took for Firehouse.com. It was truly a moving ceremony (my eyes leaked). I have forever etched into my memory the day that I played my bagpipes at the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation 9/11 Memorial Service in Washington, DC. on October 2001. Words can't even begin to explain how I felt that day.

To view the video, click HERE.

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Reviewed by Children's Dog Books and Reviews

Thank you to Charlotte Mielziner at Children's Dog Books and Reviews blog for the wonderful book review and for helping us spread the fire safety message!

Charlotte is a mom, writer, speaker, dog trainer and member of Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators. Charlotte is also a premier writer at Helium and Animal Behavior College. The dog world knows Charlotte more as an AKC Rally judge, certified in canine behavior from Purdue University and creator of the Safety Sam Dog Bite Prevention Program.

We will soon be interviewing Charlotte to learn more about the Safety Sam Dog Bite Prevention Program. Sparkles and I love learning about programs that help keep people safe!

To read the book review, click HERE.

Fire Safety Education Tips for Teachers on New Teacher Resource Center Blog

Thank you to Dorit Sasson, Founder and Director of the New Teacher Resource Center, for helping Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog and I spread the fire safety message! We had a great time working on this article for Dorit's site, in which we share fire safety education tips for teachers. I thoroughly LOVED working on this project so much, that when I intially sat down to write, I had 10 pages before I knew it! Now I almost have enough to write another article and can't wait to write an e-book!

Check out the article on the New Teacher Resource Center Blog HERE.

Thank you Dorit for helping keep children and their caregivers fire safe!

Tango's Progress

Tango is in Texas learning how to be a fire safety dog. Kari, Jerry and Elaine are doing an amazing job! They have shared with me that Tango is beginning to work off leash some. That is great news! We miss you Tango!

Book Review by Zebee at Zooprise Party

Sparkles and I love nothing more than having our book reviewed! Thanks to Zebee at Zooprise Party for the great review and for helping spread the fire safety message!

Click HERE to read the review!

Congratulations to our August Winner!

Congratulations to Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Facebook Fan Dottie Williams, for winning a copy of the children's fire safety book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog!

Our good friend, Dorit Sasson from the New Teacher Resource Center, is hosting a contest teachers. Teachers may enter a contest to win for an autographed and "pawed" copy of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog. To enter, visit the New Teacher Resource Center blog to learn more!

To join Sparkles' Facebook Fan Page, click HERE.

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog selected as "Book of the Week" by the Books Go Beyond Reading Blog's

Sparkles and I are very excited that our book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, has been selected as “Book of the Week” by Joy Delgado’s Books Go Beyond Reading Blog.

Joy is the owner of an independent publishing house with a children's book division, Laughing Zebra Children Books. Joy is very creative children’s book author that I truly admire.

Joy’s blog explores books that go beyond reading. According to her site, the featured books share with children “fun and subtle interesting facts that go beyond just being a story.”

Books Go Beyond Reading Blog includes a very favorable review of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog and Sparkles and I are truly thankful to Joy for taking time out of her busy schedule to review our book.

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog has been credited for helping save the lives of two children and their families and we appreciate Joy helping spread the fire safety message! The more we can spread the word, the more children and caregivers we can help keep safe!

You can find Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog on Amazon.com

Enter for your chance to win a copy of the children's fire safety book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog

Drawing for Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog & Firefighter Dayna Facebook fans on August 31st at noon. Win a copy of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog book and audio book. Join our fan pages to be entered into the drawing.

Sparkles' Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sparkles-the-Fire-Safety-Dog/58302653884?ref=mf

Firefighter Dayna Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Firefighter-Dayna/48990952627?ref=nf

Upcoming Radio Interviews with Firefighter Dayna Hilton

Wanted to share some exciting upcoming radio interviews:

October 26th~ Author's Read Radio Show 9 A.M PST
May 9th~ Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Visits Congressman Boozman

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog and I attended National Night Out last night at the Marvin Vinson Center.

We were very excited to see our good friend, Congressman John Boozman. Congressman Boozman is one of our biggest fire safety supporters, and it was nice to say hello and catch him up on a few of the exciting fire safety projects that Sparkles and I are involved with at this time.

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog's New "Save" Page

We have a brand new Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog "Save" page on Sparkles' website. This page is now complete with newcast videos, testimonials, links to articles and more.

Visit this page to see how Sparkles has helped save lives!

To visit the page, click HERE.

New Video of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog and Her Two "Saves"

In January 2009, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog and her book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, were credited with helping save the lives of two children and their two families.

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Tulsa for the use of this video which documented the experience.



To learn more about this story, click HERE.

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Featured in NFPA® Sparky® Activity Book.

Thank you to the good folks at the National Fire Protection Association for including Sparkles in their new Sparky's Activity Book.

Sparkles was really excited to be included in their "About Dalmatians" section in which they featured a real fire dog.

To learn order the activity book or to learn more, visit the NFPA® website HERE.

Fire Safety Videos, Games, Activity Sheets and More!

Hi boys and girls!

Be sure to visit the Sprout webpage to find fire safety games, coloring sheets and videos!


Click HERE to go to the Sprout webpage!

Thank you to the Kids Firefighter Blog

Thank you to the Kids Firefighter Blog for including information about our Firefighter Dayna fire safety site! The kids Firefighter Blog is a great source to find Kids Firefighter activities, gear, toys, videos, games and events on the Internet.

To visit the blog, click HERE.

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog in Courier Democrat

Thanks to Courier Democrat reporter Justin Hook for the amazing story that he wrote about Sparkles and her quest for helping teach fire safety.

Since May 2003, Sparkles has reached millions of children and their caregivers with the fire safety message on Sprout, Sprout on Demand after Fireman Sam and the Sprout website. Rescued from a home with 62 other dogs, Sparkles had an unfortunate life. Now, Sparkles is a very happy dog, helping Firefighter Dayna teach fire safety all across the United States.

The article appeared in the July 5th, 2009 issue. Please check back soon for a link to the article.

Firefighter Dayna and Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Donate Books to the Great Sprout Tuck-In

Publisher and Author Dayna Hilton and Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog recently donated 25 copies of the children's fire safety book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, to The Great Sprout Tuck-in. The copies were signed by Firefighter Dayna and "pawed" by Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog.

The Great Sprout Tuck-In is a prosocial initiative that extends Sprout’s “good night” mission and encourages families to share in the spirit of giving.

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Sprout is the first 24-hour preschool network created for children ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers and is available on TV, on demand and online.

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In partnership with the Pajama Program, a national nonprofit organization, it is their goal to help ensure that every child has a good night by donating new bedtime books and cozy pajamas to the Pajama Program.

Sprout will match donations of new pajamas and new books for up to 100,000 children in need during the first year of The Great Sprout Tuck-In, which will run through September 30 of this year.

The new pajamas and new books collected by the Pajama Program and The Great Sprout Tuck-In will go directly to children in need all over the country, including those in foster care who are waiting and hoping to be adopted.

The Pajama Program is a perfect fit with Sprout’s mission. Since it was launched in 2005, Sprout has been committed to following every step of a preschooler’s day — from early morning until bedtime. Sprout's signature programming block, The Good Night Show, helps children wind down with bedtime stories and other evening routines, providing our viewers with good nights. Now with The Great Sprout Tuck-in, Sprout can provide children in need with good nights, too.

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To learn how you can help make a difference or for more information on The Great Sprout Tuck-In, visit their website HERE. To learn more about the children's book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, visit HERE.

Thank you to FireRescue1.com

Thanks to FireRescue1.com for adding our fire safety blogs to their blog and for sending out the notice to their over 60,000 members!

Sparkles had the opportunity to meet some of the staff from FireRescue1.com at FDIC in Indianapolis in April.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxSparkles with FireRescue1’s Gina Ciccarelli

xxxxxxxxxxxxxSparkles with FireRescue1’s Jennifer Hickerson

To visit their blog, click HERE. To see the newsletter that went out to their members, click HERE.

Thank you so much for helping us spread the fire safety message!

New Video Release of Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Meeting Governor Mike Beebe

On June 20th, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog was honored to meet Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe.


Thank you, Governor Beebe, for all that you do to help keep Arkansans fire safe!

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Meets Governor Beebe

Today Sparkles was excited to meet Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe. Governor Beebe is a big supporter of the fire service and helping keep Arkansans fire safe. We were thankful that he had time to take out of his busy schedule to meet Sparkles.

To see more pictures, please click HERE.

Fire Safety Efforts Mentioned on Floor of Congress

Recently Congressman John Boozman mentioned our fire safety efforts on the floor of Congress. We are thankful to Congressman Boozman for his support over the years in helping us keep people fire safe.



To see the C-Span article click HERE.
To learn more about the 2009 NFPA Fire Safety Educator Award, please click HERE.

Sparkles in this Months Issue of DogSport Magazine

Our book, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, in this months issue of DogSport Magazine! The review is in the DogSport Magazine's Bookshelf section on page 90.

Here's what the DogSport staff had to say about Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog:

"Sparkles is a Fire Safety Dog from Clarksville, Arkansas that travels with firefighter Dayna Hilton teaching fire safety messages to children all across the United States. Together the two have reached millions of children and their caregivers. The National Fire Protection Association, in 2007, stated that there were more than 1.5 million fires reported in the United States, with 3,430 civilian deaths and 17,675 civilian injuries and Sparkles and Firefighter Dayna hope to change these statistics, one presentation at a time. Sparkle's tail wags in excitement about learning and teaching fire safety together and riding in the big red fire truck! Dayna begins this book by highlighting important words or phrases that should be explained to children much like she begins her presentation when visiting local elementary schools. This book teaches the most important fire safety information that children should be learning at a young age to be prepared in case of a fire emergency. The photos help to illustrate what is being taught and Sparkles participates as well, crawling and getting low. Children are also taught how firefighters will keep them safety and whey the wear "special clothes" in a fire. This is a wonderful learning tool for children! Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog literally is a brilliant quick and easy read for children. Not only will they learn the importance of fire safety, but also by using the beautiful Dalmatian dog in colorful pictures throughout the book, it almost guarantees this becoming a child's favorite book to read and re-read all the while re-learning the importance of fire safety. Reading gives children skills in hangling complex thoughts, ideas and teachings. DogSport Magazine recommends.... every classroom investing in bringing this book into elementary schools to help in teaching fire safety. "

Hi paw to everyone at DogSport Magazine for helping us spread the fire safety message!

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog Book Featured in Home Safety Council's "Start Safe" Program Materials

Thanks to Meri-K Appy and everyone at the Home Safety Council for including Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog in their new pre-school curriculum, "Start Safe."

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Fires and burns are a big problem in America for preschool-aged children. Each year, thousands are injured or killed from accidents in the home that could be prevented. The Home Safety Council has teamed up with Weekly Reader Custom Publishing on Start Safe: A Fire and Burn Safety Program for Preschoolers and their Families.

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Funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Office of Domestic Preparedness, Start Safe provides resources for preschool teachers and administrators to work hand-in-hand with a local fire department. Working together, using developmentally-appropriate teaching tools from Start Safe, teachers and local fire safety experts can deliver life-saving lessons to the preschoolers. Perhaps even more importantly, they can also reach parents and caregivers with key safety messages and help them take action to reduce the risk of fires and burns at home.

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Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog is featured in their Teacher Resource section. To find more information and access to free materials, visit HERE.