FIREBOAT

October 10, 2005
In a starred review, PW
wrote, "In relating the heroic role of the John J. Harvey
on September 11, 2001, Kalman intelligently conveys those unfathomable events in a way that a picture book audience can comprehend." Ages 3-up.

Starred review from July 29, 2002
In relating the heroic role of the John J. Harvey
on September 11, Kalman (Next Stop Grand Central) intelligently conveys those unfathomable events in a way that a picture book audience can comprehend. She begins with the year 1931, which saw some of New York City's finest hours: "Amazing things were happening big and small./ The Empire State Building went up up up." She continues with the completion of the George Washington Bridge, then zeroes in on the launching of the John J. Harvey, "the largest, fastest and shiniest fireboat of them all." Spot illustrations show its equipment and introduce the crew (including "a dog named Smokey, who did not put out the fires but had many nice spots"), while views of the New York harbor stretch across a spread. She then fast-forwards to 1995: "New York was changing. The Twin Towers were now the tallest buildings in New York City." But the piers are also closing, so the fireboat rests in retirement. One night, a group of friends decide over dinner to restore the John J. Harvey
to its original glory. Next, the volume takes an abrupt turn. White type on a black page announces: "But then on September 11, 2001 something so huge and horrible happened that the whole world shook." A sequence of spreads shows the towers literally exploding in dark, angry brushstrokes of black and gray and orange, followed by the many heroes who "sprang into action," including the John J. Harvey. With this inspiring book, Kalman (Next Stop Grand Central) sensitively handles a difficult subject in an age-appropriate manner. Ages 5-up.

Starred review from September 1, 2002
Gr. 2-6. In 1931, in New York City, "amazing things were happening: big and small." The Empire State Building opened; so did the George Washington Bridge. The Snicker candy bar appeared, and Babe Ruth hit his 611th home run. That was also the year the" John J. Harvey" fireboat was first launched. It had levers, buttons, buckets, brass trim, and five engines, and it fought fires on the piers. But by 1995, the city had little use for a fireboat, and it sold the "Harvey" to group of people who restored and used it for fun. Then came 9/11, "something so huge and horrible happened that the whole world "shook."" The "Harvey" was called back into service. Firefighters attached their hoses to the boat and fought fires for four days and nights. Kalman does some extraordinary things in this beautiful picture book. She takes the fireboat's history and puts it within the context of a city that has endured, framing the enormity of 9/11 so young readers, and even small children, can begin to grasp what happened. At the same time, she makes the event part of life's continuum of loss and endurance. Her artistry is as compassionate as it is brilliant. Wonderful, sweeping images of New York icons bring the city to life; detailed images of the "Harvey" do the same for the boat. She shows the planes headed toward their targets, then the explosion, and the collapse. It is vivid, but the stark, sensitive rendering is also somehow easier to absorb than the horrible photographs burned into our hearts. By focusing on the boat and the people who worked on it, loved it, and placed it at the service of their city, Kalman casts a blessing far and wide. A hundred years from now, when people want to know what we told our children about 9/11, Kalman's book should be among the first answers. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 1, 2002
PreS-Gr 3-Kalman's hip, high-energy paintings portray American life in 1931: the Empire State Building is constructed, Babe Ruth hits his 611th home run, "Snickers" is invented, and the John J. Harvey is launched to fight fires on New York piers. In its heyday, the boat is the creme de la creme, but toward the end of the century as the piers start to close, it is forced into retirement, soon to become scrap. Amazingly, a group of friends decides to tackle a restoration, and the John J. Harvey is called upon to fight its worst blaze ever. The fireboat's role on September 11 calls for a shift in the book's mood and style. The transition is signaled with a quiet page of white text on gray-no art. The spread of the expressionistic explosion is followed by portraits of community helpers. The climax is depicted on a black background with the firefighters, appearing as blue, kinetic outlines, furiously battling the blazing orange, red, and yellow flames with long lines of white spray. Fireboat does many things. It sets forth an adventure, helps commemorate an anniversary, offers an interesting bit of history, celebrates the underdog, and honors the fire-fighting profession. Children and adults will respond to it in as many ways.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2003
The retired "John J. Harvey" fireboat (launched in 1931) might have spent her golden years tooting down the river, "but then on September 11, 2001, something so huge and horrible happened that the whole world shook." And the "John J. Harvey" found herself of service again. Kalman's use of events is honest and honorable in this inventively illustrated picture book.

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)