Saved by the Boats: the Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 (Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Books)

Description

September 11, 2001 was a black day in U.S. history. Amid the chaos, sea captains and crews raced by boat to the tragic Manhattan scene. Nearly 500,000 people on Manhattan Island were rescued that day in what would later be called the largest sea evacuation in history. In this rarely told story of heroism, we come to understand that in our darkest hours, people shine brightly as a beacon of hope.

The youngest in a family of nine children, Julie Gassman grew up in Howard, South Dakota. After college, she traded in small-town life for the world of magazine publishing in New York City. She now lives in southern Minnesota with her husband and their three children.

Accessible, informative text presents the tragedy with relevant detail and explains how captains and crews worked together to bring almost 500,000 people to safety. . .Quotations from these heroic responders bring immediacy to the story, while the author's note offers an additional personal perspective. . . .This accessible, fact-based account of the boat evacuations that took place on 9/11 puts faces on some of the many heroes who stepped forward to help in a time of crisis.-- "Kirkus" Gassman's straightforward prose style is all the more powerful and moving for its simplicity, and Steve Moors's accompanying illustrations are perfect for the story. In a palate of black, gray, dirty white, and flashes of sky blue, the art supports the emotion of the scenes. . . .I really appreciate it both as an important piece of history and as a very effective picture book providing youngsters who may know very little about 9/11 with just the right amount of straightforward information.-- "The Booklist Reader" In this picture book, Gassman tells the true story of sea captains and their crews who helped to evacuate nearly 500,000 people that day. The art adds a unique dimension to this story, with an emphasis on the blue sky as a backdrop to detailed, monochromatic line drawings.-- "Publishers Weekly, 15 Years After September 11" Mr. Rogers is famously quoted that during tragic events, it's helpful to kids to look for the helpers. This picture book does just that. It details how after the towers fell, many people needed to get to safety and boats of every kind raced to Manhattan Island to rescue as many people as possible. Hope. That's what this book is about, even during the most dark of times. (The author was one of the people rescued by a boat!)-- "Imagination Soup" The narrative provides a grim, age-appropriate recounting of the Twin Towers's destruction before describing how 500,000 people escaped Manhattan via the water. . . .Quotations from boat captains punctuate the story, while a limited color palette contributes to the somber tone. . . .An author's note details Gassman's personal water-evacuation story, and a glossary (including victim and tragedy) rounds out this inspiring tale of how an impromptu flotilla offered refuge and hope, "a light on the city's darkest day."-- "Publishers Weekly"