'Tugboat Bill and the River Rescue' by Calista Brill and Tad Carpenter

"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." – James Keller

As a Hudson Valley native, I can't help but love this story of kindness and friendship set on the Hudson River. 'Tugboat Bill and the River Rescue' is the story of a tugboat and a rusty, dusty barge named Mabel. Bill the Tugboat pulls or pushes his friend Mabel along the river every day. The other big ships make fun of Mabel all the time. She pretends not to hear, but she does. This makes her sad and it makes Tugboat Bill sad too. One day, a cat falls into the river. The big ships refuse to help, and an unlikely hero steps up to the plate. Everyone on the river learns an important lesson, and so will your child. I like that the hero in this story isn't Bill, even though it appears to be at least partially his idea for Mabel to save the cat. He knows what his friend is capable of and helps give her the spotlight for being the loyal, brave barge he knows she is. Helping others shine is a really important lesson about friendship that I don't often see in children's books. You'll be happy to have this one on your shelves.