9/11 and Young Children

As a teacher and a mother, it was always a balancing act to discuss difficult topics with young children in a way that would not cause them more worry and fear, but to still address the situation. My first priority was always to be truthful with children, but to keep my comments as brief as possible.

Since this is the ten year anniversary of 9/11, here are some books that may help teachers and parents. The first two books mention 9/11, the last two do not. Whenever I think of 9/11, I always remember the heroic actions of police and firefighters. I think it is comforting for children to know that there are brave men and women in every community who are here to protect us.

THE MAN WHO WALKED BETWEEN THE TOWERS by Mordicai Gerstein

This book was awarded the gold Caldecott medal because of the beautiful pictures. The book is about a man who actually walked on a tightrope between the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center while they were being built.

FIREBOAT by Maira Kalman

An old fireboat that had been restored by a group of people in New York was able to help by pumping water for fire trucks in the aftermath of 9/11.

OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA by Peggy Rathman

This is another gold Caldecott medal book. This is a great book about a police officer and his partner, a creative dog!

FIREFIGHTERS A-Z by Chris L. Demarest

I always liked to read as many alphabet books as possible. This book tells about firefighting in a very engaging way.