My 6 year old son brought this home from his school library yesterday. I was eager to sit and read a book about a fireboat to my first grader!
I was so shocked by the abruptness of the content switching from almost a sing-songy storyline, to airplanes crashing in to the towers. My son said they were bombs and smiled at the big explosion on the following pages. My eyes teared up as I remembered being pregnant with him while frantically driving home afraid that the Boston skyline behind me was about to be assaulted and changed forever.
Back on the couch in our living room, I realized that a discussion about 9/11 was going to have to take place before my first grader understands this tragedy and this book. I put the book away, and will return it to his school's library. I have chosen to let my 6 year old be a first grader, to live in a world that is at peace. For now.
He will soon enough learn that there are evil individuals in the world who could strike down innocent people by the thousands. Soon, enough. But not at 6 years old.
This book is an important book, particularly for children who experienced a direct impact from those terrifying days.
Note to publisher: Please republish with a tag line referring to 9/11 on the cover.

A true triumph over adversity. A very nice book to read to your little ones and not such a scary way to let them know a sad part of our history.

Heartwarming Hero!!!

Imagine your most favorite hero. Is he tall, strong, courageous, and faithful? Well, this hero is all that and more. Fireboat, by Maira Kalman is a heartwarming story of a boat that was built in 1931 with all the newest and greatest gadgets to aide in fighting fires. The fireboat is named the John J. Harvey and for many years it fought fires on ocean liners and along New York's busy piers. After 64 years of protecting the New York area the John J. Harvey is retired. Left unused for five years it was ready to be sold as scrap material when a few people got together and brought the John J. Harvey back to life. After many repairs the old fireboat is up and running again. Not as a fireboat but as a pleasure boat for all. As the story progresses history is in the making. The most horrific thing imaginable happens on September 11, 2001. This is where a hero of the past steps in to help and doesn't stop until his work is done. A tragedy, yes, a hero, yes, forgotten no. The John J. Harvey is an important part of history that will always have friends to care for him. If you are looking for a book about September 11th to share with yourself, your children or your grand-children then this is the book for you. It is a simple and loving example of what people can do to help others during such a tragic time. This is a must read and an unforgettable story of what America lost on the day of September 11, 2001.Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (Picture Puffin Books)

The author deals with the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in a very dignified way. Nothing in the story would devistate young readers or listeners. The illustrations are wonderful and quite appropriate. Next year when 9-11 arrives I will read this story to my students to help them remember this tragic incident.

There is a traditional story of the retired firehorse that responds to the bell. John J. Harvey is a true example of that. She and her crew answered the bell that day. It troubles me that so many reviewers want to "revise" this book to remove the horror of that day. You can not revise the events and remove the horror from them. It needs to be recalled, remembered and dealt with, both by children and adults. I love this book. As a firefighter and Naval Reservist I can't say enough good things about the story here. More importantly enough good things can not be said about John J. Harvey and the crew that saved her and then brought her back into service that day.

I was amazed at E. Bird "Ramseelbird's" negative review of this book. He feels that Kalman's treatment of September 11 was flippant and cutesy-pie??

My son, who was in nursery school at the time, was severely traumatized by the horrible events of that day and his parents' reactions. He had a pretty good factual understanding, but couldn't quite piece it all together emotionally. I searched for a book about 9/11 that he could relate to. This was it. Far from being flippant, the book sets the tone of 1931, the birthyear of the fireboat John J. Harvey, with other "normal" stuff that was going on that year. In fact, everything *is* normal until THAT DAY. Yes, the tone changes. But doesn't that reflect reality in this case?

The gouache illustrations give a great child's-eye view of what happened.

This is a book about heroes, an interesting tale that takes an obscure little boat and makes it the centerpiece for a story of the September 11 attacks.

My son was just 3 in September 2001, and he saw our tears and knew we were frightened. When we reached the section of this book where the planes hit the buildings, he turned to me and said, "So THAT'S what happened." He was relieved to have the upsetting topic finally explained. Even years later, he has trouble understanding the heroes who died; many of the nuances and realities of that time simply elude him. Fireboat helped me broach the subject in a way that he seemed OK with.

Like other reviewers, I'm surprised at those who felt blindsided mid-read to their children. I can't understand not taking a second to flip through a book before reading any book to a child. To blame the book for a parental oversight seems very unfair. And also, avoiding the 9-11 topic with small children seems like whistling past the graveyard. Better to read a book like this, with some historical perspective and optimism, then to have a child like mine who felt in the dark and frightened of the unknown.

This is a cheery, well-written book about a terrible topic. The author walks a fine line between being too glib and too severe, but in the end, it's a successful effort.

I have been an educator for 30 years, and mother for 12. I have a doctoral degree in special education. I was so touched by this book that I have donated copies to libraries, in addition to buying them for friends with and without young children.

As a native New Yorker now living in another state, I struggled daily to explain 9/11 to my students and my own children. Not until I saw "Fireboat" did I have a children's book to help my explanations. None of us can ignore what happened in 2001. I have seen parents and teachers try, and their children became more confused and scared by the secrecy than they would have been by an open discussion of the events.

I applaud the sensitive story, the beautiful artwork, and the idea that, out of the terror and horror of 9/11, we can find positive acts and hope.

I recommend this book to parents everywhere.

So you're walking around the children's section of the library with your child and on a desk or a table or the floor your kid sees a picture book called, "Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey". On the cover is a picture of a perky little fireboat spurting water hither and yon. It's a charming little image and without flipping through it (or perhaps just the first few pages) you pick it up and check it out. Later, you're reading it to your toddler when, to your surprise, there's a mention of September 11th. Turning the next page you see two planes flying side by side into the Twin Towers. Turn another page and the towers have exploded. Gouache fire, smoke, falling debris, and what could possibly be blood cascade from the sky. Now totally apart from the fact that two planes did not, in fact, fly into the Twin Towers at the same time, what on earth is this doing in a children's book at this time? Who's bright idea was that? And what in the world is this story about?

Well, you've just stumbled across Maira Kalman's answer to the tragedy of 9-11. "Fireboat", in its own somewhat mistaken way, is the tale of the little ship that could. Based on a true story, the book begins with a slapdash encapsulation of New York City, the way it was in 1931. The Empire State Building was built, Babe Ruth hit his 611th home run, Snickers the candy bar was made (if this was a movie I'd wonder if the Mars company got a payment of some sort for this gratuitous product placement), and a fireboat was born. The John J. Harvey was great but in 1995 it was retired. Fortunately a group of philanthropists decided to purchase the run down boat and make it as good as new. They did so and not a minute too soon. When the Twin Towers fell the water pipes needed by the firemen were broken down and buried. It was up to the John J. Harvey to put out the nasty fires and save the day. And now, "The Harvey is back to being a very happy boat". The end!

Entirely aside from whether or not it's appropriate to draw such a gratuitous depiction of the Towers falling at this moment in time (and baby, gratuitous doesn't even begin to explain the half of it) let's look at the book as a whole. There's a really weird thing going on in this story. First of all, author Kalman doesn't seem to be entirely certain what kind of tale she wants to tell. Obviously she wants to honor the owners of the Harvey as well as the actions of others on that tragic day. To do so, however, she's chosen an oddly cutesy method. Her explanations of 1931 include this tidbit: "On a hot and jazzy night the word HOT-CHA was invented". Then she shows how Harvey went along its merry way putting out fires in the piers where items sold included, "wood and cotton and bananas and bubble gum and EVERYTHING". Short of putting a face on Harvey (which this reviewer is mighty glad she abstained from) it's hard to make the elements of this tale any cuter. Then out of nowhere she draws two planes crashing into the towers, a mere page or two after the phrase, "A boat says hello with four toots". Talk about switching gears. The image of the Harvey fighting the fires of the burning towers may have calm semi-comforting words, but the page depicts gigantic burning fire enwrapped shells of buildings. It is, quite frankly, a terrifying image. And then... AND THEN the book ends (I kid you not) with this sentence: "The friends of the Harvey have found a little tugboat to adopt. Doesn't everyone need a tugboat?" Well gol durn. If terrorists blow up a cruise ship sailing out of the Chelsea piers I can guess what the next oh-so-adorable book will center on.

Look. I'm not saying that good picture books about September 11th can't be done. They're just very difficult to manage. They take a certain amount of skill and dexterity. Observe the subtle and brilliant 2004 Caldecott winner, "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" by Mordecai Gerstein. It acknowledges the loss without including poorly thought out two page spreads of planes tearing into buildings. Kalman's book lacks tact. I think her intentions were pure with this book, but in the end the story is frightening and badly written. If you want to introduce your children to the events of that day, do so slowly with Gerstein. If you want to scare them with a falsely cheery boat tale, do so with Kalman's.

I guess I'm somewhat taken aback by some of the reviewers who apparently read the book to their children, or got partway through it, without having looked it over themselves first. Sorry, that's just irresponsible. The book is a fabulous treatment of a terrible subject that your children ARE aware of, and this helps explain how ordinary people became heroes that awful day.

My 6-year old first fell in love with this book when he was 4, and he knows enough about 9/11 to know it was a horrible event. His dad (me) was next door to the WTC that morning, so he and his brother lived through waiting to hear from me with his mom.

The book is sensitive and touching. It's a great book and I highly recommend it. If you think your child might have a problem with ANY book, you should always read it yourself first.

A beautiful book about how the tradgedy of 9/11 brought out the best in New Yorkers. Of course we want to shelter our young children from awful events like this, but if they are elementary school age, they will hear about 9/11. Better to discuss it with them in a sensitive way. I have read this to my 6 year old about 5 times. I sob every time. Guess I'm teaching empathy.

This book is highly recommended for all to read, especially for young children. 9/11 happened, and while it might be all well and good to shelter your children from the events of that day, there are 10,000 children without a mom or dad that cannot be. So, be a responsible adult and screen everything but, do not lose an opportunity to educate your children no matter what their age. And, teach them about giving back to others, not about the terrors involved. You'd be surprised.

This book handles the events of 9/11 in a wonderful way. The pictures are very tasteful. After seeing all the horrific images on the tv, the children will not be frighten by these pictures. This is a very well written book. Parents should always read a book before reading it to their child. Although I can't imagine why this book would be offensive.

This book needs a warning on the cover of the book because of the graphic violence it depicts. It is misleading from the cover and title that it is only about this fireboat. It entails much more. Adults need to read this prior to reading it to children, then decide if they want to share it with their kids. If they do, they need to have some pre-discussion with the children about the topic of 9/11. Too many pages and too much graphic violence was shown for a book for the younger age group. It could have been handled in a much softer approach. As a parent and an educator I was shocked by this book. The pictures and wording were wonderful, other than that section. It needs to be revisited before another printing is made.

Fireboat is a really good book about recycling. The John J. Harvey was the best fireboat out of 12 other fireboats in New York City. The John J. Harvey fought fires up and down the river. It put out the fire that was huge on another boat, the Normandie. After awhile they did not need 12 fireboats, so the John J. Harvey was sitting in the river for five years, then a group of people saw it and wanted it so they bought it. They had perfessional people fix it up, then they did not use it to put out fires. It was thiers to keep for partys or go out on a ride. Then the fire department needed a fireboat.They needed a lot of fireboats at that time, so they had to use the John J. Harvey to help control this fire. Can you guess what fire it was? Remember it's in New York City. It was the fire that was spread because of the crash of the Twin Towers. Fireboat is a really good book. I can't tell you the whole story, it's so good you better read this book if you like boats or you are interested in what happened in New York City with the Twin Towers!
B.C