James Burd Brewster Books In Order

Publication Order of Glad to do it! EMT Morales Books

Publication Order of Glad to do it! Pete and Petey Books

Publication Order of Glad to do it! Uncle Rocky Fireman Books

Publication Order of Glad to do it: Office Jack Books

Publication Order of Children's Books

James Burd Brewster grew up in Albany, NY. He spent time on Lake Champlain where he learned to sail, and while in the US Coast Guard, navigated a Polar Icebreaker. James is married to Katie Spivey. He and Katie raised five children in Maryland, first in Baltimore and then in Southern Maryland. In 1990, when his two oldest boys (Ben and Luke) where 5 and 3 respectively, he began putting them to bed with a fireman story. What started then as an excellent father/son experience, became, twenty-four years later, the “Glad to do it!” series of children’s picture books. In each story James told, the Fireman, Uncle Rocky, rescued someone and that person always said, “Thank you.” In response, Uncle Rocky thanked God he could rescue the person and then looked the person in the eye and said, “Glad to do it!” When police and EMTs were added to the stories, they all said, “Glad to do it!” and thus the name of the series.

James spent a career in the Coast Guard, twenty-three years as a commissioned officer and twenty-one as a contractor supporting the Coast Guard at their headquarters in Washington, DC. The family settled in Pomfret, MD. Ben and Luke are no longer 5 and 3. Ben is a Marine, married, and father of eight. Luke works for Apple Inc in Cupertino, CA.

The “Glad to do it!” series thanks and honors first responders for being true public servants and shows children that first responders can be trusted to help them when help is needed. The books follow the adventures of Uncle Rocky (Fireman), Officers Jack and Kate (Police Officers), and EMTs Morales and Flynn (EMTs) as they respond to emergencies in Hamilton Township. The characters fight fires, promote fire safety, rescue people, protect people, preserve property, stop crime, and apply their medical training to helping injured neighbors. The stories are unique in that each story is based upon an actual fire, police or EMT response. The responders are thanked in the front of each book with a short citation describing the actual rescue. For reading fun, children and adults shout the last sentence of the book with the characters as they turn, look the victim in the eye and say, “Glad to do it!” They will remember the phrase for the rest of their life.

Pete and Petey is a father and son, named after each other, who do things together along with the involvement of the rest of the family. It shows a normal intact family where the parents love each other and the brothers and sisters like and help each other.

(Thanks to James for this bio!)