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As we remember the heroes of 9/11, we can - and should - be sharing their stories with kids. Here are some books to help with that... (thread)
My favorite MG novel about 9/11 is TOWERS FALLING by @jewell_p_rhodes. It tells the story of a family dealing with the aftermath of the attack in a way that's honest, heartbreaking and heart-healing, too. (for grades 4 and up) https://bookshop.org/books/towers-falling/9780316262217
For younger elementary school readers, I love @MairaKalman's FIREBOAT. Remember how Mr. Rogers always told us to look for the helpers? This book does that beautifully, in a way that's developmentally appropriate for even the youngest readers. https://bookshop.org/books/fireboat-the-heroic-adventures-of-the-john-j-harvey/9780142403624
14 COWS FOR AMERICA by Carmen Agra Deedy and Thomas Gonzalez is another picture book that focuses on the helpers - the story of a gift given to the U.S. after the attack. https://bookshop.org/books/14-cows-for-america/9781561459612
For chapter book readers, the I SURVIVED series from @laurenTarshis has a book about 9/11 - the main character's dad is a NYC firefighter. https://bookshop.org/books/i-survived-the-attacks-of-september-11th-2001-i-survived-6-d7b7673a-c3be-4be3-b18b-c48d8254f466/9780545207003
Also for chapter book readers, book 11 in my Ranger in Time series is ESCAPE FROM THE TWIN TOWERS - it's about two kids who escape from the North Tower, where they were visiting a parent at work. https://bookshop.org/books/escape-from-the-twin-towers-ranger-in-time-11-volume-11/9781338537949
Those of us who have written about 9/11 for kids get a lot of questions about why. The very simple answer is because kids have asked us for these books.
Not long after the first Ranger in Time book came out, I was visiting kids at a school, and when it was time for Q&A, a second grader raised her hand & asked "Could you please write a Ranger in Time book about 9/11?"
I smiled & told her I'd add it to my list of possible topics. But I didn't think I'd ever write that book. 9/11 was too recent, too real, and too sad.
But the next time I visited a school, another kid asked the same thing. It happened over and over until I realized something.
But the next time I visited a school, another kid asked the same thing. It happened over and over until I realized something.
Kids who are elementary schools today were born years and years after the attacks. They don't have the awful memories we have as adults. To them, 9/11 is an awful thing that happened in history, like Pearl Harbor is to many of us.
Kids want to know more about 9/11, but adults don't like to talk about it. It still makes us too sad. So kids are left wondering.
Stories can help with that.
Stories can help with that.
That's why I wrote a book about 9/11 for kids. I read hundreds of pages of testimony from survivors & first responders, interviewed people who escaped from the North Tower, and visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. That tough research was essential to tell an honest story.
Educator & author @LRoessing has more great resources for teaching 9/11 - here's her list of 9/11 related novels, mostly for middle school & high school readers. http://www.yawednesday.com/blog/eleven-novels-for-nineeleven-studying-discussing-911-through-diverse-perspectives-by-lesley-roessing
The books in this thread can spark some important conversations about disasters and grief and healing - all so relevant to our moment right now, too.
So take some time today to remember - and share that moment with the kids in your life, too.
So take some time today to remember - and share that moment with the kids in your life, too.
