New York's Bravest
Mary Pope Osborne (of Magic Tree House fame) honors the 343 firefighters  who died on September 11 by retelling a 19th-century legend about another heroic  NYC blaze battler.Eight-feet-tall with "hands as big as Virginia hams," Mose Humphreys cuts a  classic tall-tale figure, lifting trolley cars over his head and rescuing babies  inside a stovepipe hat. And, echoing the World Trade Center attacks, "when  others ran away from danger, Mose ran toward it."New York's Bravestfollows the firefighting exploits of the mythic Mose and "his boys" in dramatic,  near-theatrical spreads, right up to a fateful hotel fire near the Hudson: "All  night, Mose ran in and out of the building, rescuing bankers, bakers,  shoemakers, dressmakers, preachers, and politicians." But when the smoke clears,  Mose is nowhere to be found. His fellows nervously hope that he's simply  disappeared to drive a mule team in the Dakotas or to mine gold in California.  But no, an old-timer later surmises, "Truth is, Mose is right here. He's  marchin' with us in our parades. He's kickin' up his heels at our fancy  dances.... And whenever we climb our ladders toward a blazing sky, he climbs  with us."Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher ably carry the alternating spectacle and pathos inNew York's Bravestwith colorful, outlandishly staged paintings. And  while Pope Osborne's solemnity can border on maudlin (not surprising for a  tribute), she ultimately succeeds in honoring our common potential for hope and  simple courage, with the understanding that, while the bravery of one fancifully  gifted individual might not be all that remarkable, the bravery of many--on and  after September 11--certainly is.) (Ages 4 to 8)--Paul Hughes--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.