Barbaresi's story of eight mice who live in a Brooklyn firehouse and form their own firefighting unit fails to capture the imagination. The lacklus ter narrative makes it difficult to be come involved with the characters and what they do; even the climactic rescue scene doesn't generate any excitement. When the soft watercolor and ink illus trations don't include close depictions of human faces, they do possess a busy charm, although the details indicate a fire station rife with potential safety and fire hazards. Firemouse will have only marginal appeal for young readers. Laura McCutcheon, St. Catherine's School, Richmond, Va. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc