Janet Nolan

I don’t know about this book. Look, I’m all about PB&Js and ever single one of the ingredients are ones I also love and eat all the time. And I do like how the story is one of those that builds on itself and gets you to think of what steps were done before adding the newest step in each iteration. But I kept getting thrown off by the words seeming like they were trying to rhyme and then suddenly just not. I also wasn’t overly fond of the illustrations. I’m all about sharing how we get the food we eat and where it comes from and the impact it has on the world around us as well as to us. But this one overall fell short for me.… (more)

Recommended Ages: Gr.

Plot Summary: A piece of steel beam was taken from 9/11, then reformed to put in the bow of the biggest Navy boat. This boat returned to NYC for a 10 year memorial. The ship's crest is symbolic of the recycled beam.

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Recurring Themes: 9/11, memories, memorial, tragedy, honor, respect, navy

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Personal Thoughts: Two things bring back many emotions in someone who was alive during this tragic event: the illustration of the nose of the plane touching one of the twin towers and the statistic of the number of people who died. Other than that, very little background information is given on 9/11 and the book focuses on taking the beam, recreating it, and putting it in the bow of a ship, although the word bow is not explained and the illustrations do not clarify. In other words, I think this book has much more meaning to those who are familiar with 9/11 and will cause lots more questions than answers. In some ways, that can be good for sensitive readers, but in other ways, I think it makes the book to simplified. However, the themes definitely come through.

Genre: informational text, narrative non-fiction

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