Picture book helps explain events of 9/11 to children

McClatchy-Tribune

With the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks approaching, it is time for parents to plan how they will explain that day to children too young to remember 9/11.

Don Brown's book "America is Under Attack" might be one way to help a child understand why this day is so sad for so many Americans and why we take time to remember.

The book tells first-hand stories about people who worked in the World Trade Center and firefighters, those who escaped and those who died. Muted illustrations, also by Brown, are often scary, but not graphic. It is certainly not going to make it easier on parents — the stories takes the readers' emotions right back to that day — but it is straightforward without being overwhelming, and will make it apparent to a child what ceremonies surround 9/11 are about.

However, the book brushes past a question your children are sure to ask — one that many of us still ask today — "Why?"

The book is from Roaring Brook Press and aimed at children 6-10. It is 64 pages and costs $16.99, in stores now.

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