It started with a three-year-old and a very specific career goal.

My daughter Zoë didn't tell me she wanted to be a firefighter. She told me she wanted to be a fire engine. Not a firefighter. A fire engine. And spray water.

I couldn't argue with that level of commitment.

If you want to see the moment that started it all, go to my Instagram at @iamsevy. I have the video pinned right at the top. It's one of the funniest and most genuine things you'll ever watch. A little girl with a big dream and zero doubt about exactly what she wants to be. Watch it and tell me that doesn't make you smile.

That moment planted a seed. And eventually it became Zoë Is Going to Be a Fire Engine!

Education Wrapped in Imagination

Here's something that might surprise you. On the first day of the fire academy, one of the most common questions from new candidates is what's the difference between an engine and a truck.

Zoë answered that question before most of them ever thought to ask it.

This book was built on two things. Imagination and education. I wanted to explain the fire service in a way that a child could understand and connect with. But I also wanted to give kids and parents permission to dream without limiting what those dreams could look like. Zoë didn't say she wanted to fight fires. She said she wanted to be the engine. She wanted to be the thing that does the work. That kind of thinking is something we need to protect in our kids.

The Whole Family Showed Up

One of my favorite things about this book is that it's not just Zoë's story. The whole family is in it.

Her brother Dylan is a truck company. Her sister Jasmine is an ambulance. Her mom is a hazmat unit because she cleans up messes, which, if you've ever raised kids, you know is absolutely accurate. Her cousins are air sea rescue. Her grandparents are chiefs. And me? I come in as the heavy rescue. The Squad. Because that's what I do.

Every character in this book has a role that reflects who they actually are in real life. That wasn't an accident. That was me as a father paying attention to my family and finding a way to put them all on the page together.

What I Want Kids and Parents to Take Away

For the kids, it's simple. You can be whatever you set your mind to. Even a fire engine.

For the parents, it's a little deeper. We grow up, and somewhere along the way, we stop giving ourselves permission to imagine. Life gets serious. Goals get practical. Dreams get edited down into things that feel more reasonable. This book is a quiet reminder that imagination is not something to outgrow. It's something to protect. In your kids and in yourself.

Read this book to your child and then ask them what they want to be. Don't correct them. Don't redirect them. Just listen. You might be surprised by what they say.

Zoë told me she wanted to be a fire engine.

I'm glad I listened.

Zoë Is Going to Be a Fire Engine! is available now. Find it at the link in my bio or at www.iamsevy.com. And don't forget to check out the video that started it all, pinned at the top of my Instagram @iamsevy.