James Burd Brewster’s “Glad to Do It!” book series is full of children’s picture books that are great for young boys. In this series, there are stories about Officer Jack, a policeman, and Uncle Rocky, a fireman. They always touch on the importance of serving others and always end with the trademark statement, “Glad to do it!” The Officer Jack book series tells the different adventures of police officers Jack and Kate as they work throughout Hamilton Township.
First, the second book of the Officer Jack series is called Officer Jack Underwater. It is based on a true story and is dedicated to police officers everywhere. In 2015, in New Zealand, a woman was stuck in her car while it was sinking. She was saved by police offers Paul Watts and Simon Russell who smashed her rear window with a big rock and then pulled her out. Right after she was rescued, her car completely sank. Both officers said, “It’s just another day on the job,” when they were asked about the situation.
Next, Officer Jack and Officer Kate work very hard. They are committed to:
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Preserving property
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Protecting people
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Stopping crime
This story starts out with them being on foot patrol in Riverfront Park and admiring how beautiful it is. That’s when they hear someone screaming for help from the boat ramp and people nearby were pointing to the water, so the officers could see where the screaming was coming from. They saw a woman inside her car which was slowly sinking. Officer Jack told Kate to call it in so the ambulance could come. Someone standing nearby tells him that the woman’s car jumped forward and went into the water when she stepped on her gas.
Officer Jack took his belt off, got into the water, and tried to open each of the doors of the car but they were all locked. The car was still sinking and the woman climbed into the back seat to avoid the water that was rising in her car. Then, Officer Kate looks around and picks up a rock the size of a soccer ball. When she hands it to Officer Jack, he smashes the rear window and pulls the woman out. When she thanks the officers for saving her life, they both give a salute and say, “Glad to do it!”
In Conclusion, this picture book is perfect for boys. The excitement they’ll have while reading it and the feelings they will be left with once the story is over is priceless. Reading this book to your child makes the story come alive and they may even picture themselves as the officers who are heroes. It touches on the importance of acts of service. It may even inspire them to always lend a helping hand and find new ways to problem-solve.