cover image Molly, by Golly! The Legend of Molly Williams, America's First Female Firefighter

Molly, by Golly! The Legend of Molly Williams, America's First Female Firefighter

Dianne Ochiltree, illus. by Kathleen Kemly. Boyds Mills/Calkins Creek, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-59078-721-2

Ochiltree and Kemly share the little-known story of Molly Williams, an African-American woman who, in the early 1800s, went from cooking for New York City's volunteer firefighters to battling blazes alongside them as the first female firefighter. The men of Fire Company No. 11 adore Molly's hasty pudding and apple tansey, but when a fire breaks out during a blizzard, she races outdoors to warn the neighborhood, then helps haul out the pumper engine, carry buckets, and combat the fire. Kemly's snow-streaked illustrations show Molly as a woman of determination and strength, and a sense of both danger and heroism radiates from the story. Ages 7%E2%80%9310. (Sept.)