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October 10-16, 2002 cover story Childrens BooksFireboatWritten and illustrated by Maira Kalman Putnam, $16.99, ages 6-10 "The Harvey was the fastest and shiniest fireboat in New York City." Beginning in 1931, water from her powerful hoses fought fires at Hudson River piers, including an awful fire on the liner Normandie. But by 1995 she was old and useless, sitting in the water for five years, waiting to be sold for scrap.That is, until a group of friends saved her -- fixed her up for parties and fun. She could never be used to fight a fire again, they said. Then, on Sept. 11, 2001, two airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers. The sky filled up with fire. Many lives were lost. (Illustrations here, and throughout, are dramatic and support the text in a glorious way.) Many of the firetrucks could not pump water because their water pipes were broken. However, the firefighters attached hoses to the Harvey. For four days and nights, her devoted crew fought the fire until it was out! Not useless and forgotten, Harvey was a hero. And Maira Kalman is a heroine for researching and writing this true story, proving that old heroes never die, somewhat on the order of the classic The Little Engine That Could. Portions of the proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to the Twin Towers Orphan Fund. Jerry Seinfeld HalloweenBy Jerry Seinfeld Illustrations by James Bennett Little Brown, $15.95, ages 7-12 This is the first children's book that comedian Jerry Seinfeld has written. He dedicates it to his wife Jessica and their little girl, Sascha, "the sweetest candy of all." Why candy? Because this book is about Halloween candy. "The only clear thought I had as a kid was GET CANDY," says Seinfeld. To do this of course, he has to go trick-or-treating. He endures pathetic costume traumas. The thin rubber band on the back of the mask snaps. "The mask starts sliding into your eyeballs. I can't see. I can't breathe. But let's keep going. We gotta get the candy!" Then there's the Superman outfit he wanted so badly, which "looks more like you're wearing pajamas... the maskline comes down to absolutely your stomach." Finally, as he grows older, he invents curt directions for the sweet old ladies who open their doors. "SEE KID. GIVE CANDY. GOOD NIGHT." Illustrations by a terrific Bucks County artist complement this hilarious Halloween scoff, which may upset some parents, but would delight Dennis Miller and Dave Barry. It's a book with absolutely no morals, for Seinfeld fans. Arithme-TickleBy J. Patrick Lewis Illustrations by Frank Remkiewicz Silver Whistle, $16, ages 7-10 Brain-teasing fun here, as riddles combine verse, math and funny pictures. There's a correct answer for each problem and answers are given in case the adult reader is math-deprived. For example, here's a typical plot and question: Jennifer Henessy steps on the scale, weighing 71. When Poo-poo-poo-poo, her poodle, jumps on the scale they weigh a total of 92 pounds. How much does the doggy weigh alone? You get the idea. There aren't many ways to make math enticing, but this may be one. Motts Slip and SlurpGrosset & Dunlap, $4.99, ages 3-5 Today's terrific trend: schools taking kickbacks from soft drink companies for allowing them exclusive rights to in-school dispensers. Terrible trend in books: the same sly commercialism foisted on innocents. As in this witless book with the big red apple on the cover -- a not-so-transparent plug for Mott's apple juice. (No author is named.) The story is stupid: child slurps and burps. The end. Now why should you give a child apple juice in the first place? Apple juice has almost three times as many grams of sugar as tomato juice. A steady diet would probably promote cavities and carb addiction in the nursery. Someone should write a book about it. The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom PlanetBy Eleana Cameron Little Brown, $7.95, ages 8-12 "WANTED: a small spaceship built by a boy or by two boys," offer includes "adventure and a chance to do a good deed." The newspaper ad sells our two young heroes, and they go to a house on Thallo Street. (First clue: Thallus is an organism, as in fungi or mushrooms). The house belongs to charming, but old and fleshy, Mr. Tyco Bass, who looks like a mushroom. (Tycho Brahe is the name of a 16th-century discoverer of planet motion.) Mr. Bass is an expert on planets. The boys help him build a fantastic spaceship. Good science here: rocket motors, earth's gravity, fuel containers and the like. At last Mr. Bass sends them off to find the tiny planet, Basideum, from whence he came, to rescue some endangered relatives. (Basidio is the name of class: fungi.) The boys rescue The Mushroom People from a horrible end. A neat ending for a neat story of youthful courage and scientific skill. Alphabet Under ConstructionWritten and illustrated by Denise Fleming Henry Holt, $16.95, ages 3-6 Among the hundreds of alphabet books, this one is an amusing, educational and aesthetic winner. Mouse actually constructs each letter: dyes the D, prunes the P, and zips the Z. The colors sing. Fleming creates intensity by pouring colored cotton pulp through hand-cut stencils. The letters seem to move on the page. At the end of the book, there's a long narrow calendar of the entire alphabet which lifts out and can look very special on a child's wall. 
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