9/11 remembered

Today we remember  those we lost through the September 11 attacks. How do you explain to a child about this horrific day? Here are 5 books that touch on this time in history-as painful as it is- and sheds light in a time of darkness....

September Roses (FSG, 2004) a small touching book with a story based fact about two South African women (on their way to a flower show) who were stranded in the aftermath of September 11th with thousand of roses. The women use the rose petals to create create a memorial in Union Square. The book demonstrates the way people responded after the tragedy.

In On That Day: A Book of Hope for Children (Tricycle, 2002) Andrea Patel does not dwell on the tragedy but rather the good people can do in the world.

FIREBOAT: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (Putnam, 2002). Maira Kalman uses the history of New York City and that of an actual fireboat to gently show the events of September 11th and the role of firefighters on that tragic day.

 14 Cows for America (Peachtree, 2009) by Carmen Agra Deedy is a book based on fact that shows how people reacted to the horrific events that took place in America on September 11th. The book exposes children to the culture of the Massai people in Kenya and how they reacted to the story of 911with a gift of 14 Cows for America .

The Little Chapel that Stood (Newcastle, 2003) by A. B. Curtis. It tells the story of St. Paul's Chapel that stood in the shadows of the World Trade Center buildings and survived the destruction of the day.