Fireboat the Heroic Adventures of John J. Harvey

Fireboat the Heroic Adventures of John J. Harvey           

By Maira Kalman        G.P. Putnam’s Sons (2002)              ISBN: 0399239537

Fireboat the Heroic Adventures of John J. Harvey is a true story about a New York City fireboat that was first introduced into fire service in 1931. The story first begins by providing historical context—the completed construction of the Empire State Building, Babe Ruth hit his 611th home run, the Snickers candy bar was introduced, and the George Washington Bridge was erected. The John Harvey fought NYC fires from the New York waterways. After years of service, John Harvey began to rust and needed lots of repairs. In an effort to preserve the memory of John Harvey, a group of friends purchased the aged fireboat in 1995 and gave it a new life. The John Harvey demonstrated its true heroism on September 11, 2001. After the two airplanes struck the Twin Towers, the John Harvey ferried people to safety for four days and four nights. The crew and the John Harvey were awarded the National Preservation Award for their bravery.

Quantitative: Lexile Level-AD280L; ATOS--3.1

Qualitative:  This true story offers insight into a condensed history of New York City. With the detailed description of the John Harvey, students build vocabulary related to the workings of an engine and other boat terminology. Students may struggle with identifying with some of the cultural and historical references and allusions, specifically the details of 9/11. Although this may be a difficult concept for young school children to grasp, it would be valuable to spend time on explaining the event in order to understand the role the John Harvey played in the tragedy. The visuals and narrative are very linear. Vocabulary and background knowledge pose the biggest concerns regarding complexity. Even though this book is geared for students in the younger grades, teachers could use Fireboat the Heroic Adventures of John J. Harvey to introduce major topics to high school students in a U.S. History class.  

Content Area: Social Science—U.S. History; Science—Engineering; Math—Conversions

Common Core Standards: RI.3.3

Curriculum Suggestions: The obvious curriculum connection would be to history. Not only does the book spotlight the tragedy of September 11th, but it also alludes to other historical events that occurred during the 1930s. Students could conduct research projects on New York City especially since the time period follows the Great Crash of 1929. The allusions can be examined in more detail in order to gain a better scope of how the John Harvey fits into the historical context.

If teachers want to use the book for other subjects, like engineering and math, students could explore the parts involved in building a ship of John Harvey’s size and purpose in addition to exploring the math involved necessary to operate the boat. Fireboat the Heroic Adventures of John J. Harvey would be a great book to read prior to discussing other rescue services and/or before visiting a rescue service location like a fire or police station.

Additional/Digital Content:

• John J. Harvey-- http://www.fireboat.org/

• New York Historical Society--http://www.nyhistory.or

• World Trade Center-- http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/history-twin-towers.html

Personal Thoughts: Depending on the age group, sharing the details of 9/11 may be a touchy subject, especially if students know people that were impacted by the attack. Although the students will not be old enough to know about the tragedy, it is important for teachers to remain sensitive to the emotional ties to this event.

*Meets the “Reading for Pleasure Picture Book” requirement