Review by Booklist Review
Rubin's inspiring tale uses a displaced--and eventually reinstated--tree to symbolically reflect on the destruction of the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the rebuilding of New York City over time. The poetic text is told from the perspective of the tree, but the illustrations are the star of this book. Flanked by comforting bucolic scenes, Rubin's depiction of the 9/11 attacks is jarring and scary. Its traditional picture-book format gives way to graphic novel conventions as the attack unfolds through darkly colored panels that resemble broken shards of glass. Some readers may grow confused here because the accompanying descriptive passages do not explicitly refer to 9/11, but the atmosphere and drama will be easily felt. As the tree is cleared of debris, light and order are likewise restored to the book's pages. Particularly striking is the growth of the tree and the new tower at the site of the World Trade Center, shown in a series of parallel illustrations. Although the circumstances are different, this story of urban resilience and rebuilding remains relevant today.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Twenty years after 9/11, Rubin revisits the tragedy through the eyes of a tree that survived the devastation, providing a poignant tribute to a city's resilience and a powerful introduction to the topic for young readers. The Callery pear tree, planted at the World Trade Center Plaza in the 1970s, narrates the true story in personal prose: "It was an ordinary morning. Until it wasn't." After sunny, green-tinged spreads turn dark, black and gray frames depict the tree as it stands buried under tons of twisted rubble. Paneled illustrations aptly speed or slow the narrative, following the subject's wounding, rescue, and rehabilitation--in an uplifting spread, the growing tree is shown in parallel with the construction of One World Trade Center--to its eventual replanting at the ground zero memorial, where its blossoming branches symbolize hope. Back matter includes more details on 9/11 and the tree, noting that many of its seedlings have been gifted to other communities that have experienced a tragedy. Ages 4--8. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
This is the story of an extraordinary Callery pear tree, told in the voice of the tree itself. Planted in the 1970s, this early spring bloomer thrived in the bustling downtown Manhattan cityscape, providing shade for workers and a haven for birds -- until September 11, 2001. The simple text states, "It was an ordinary morning. Until it wasn't." Several pages of progressively darker, but not overly graphic, sequential art capture the devastation that followed on that fateful day. Weeks after the attack, workers pulled the badly damaged but still-alive pear tree from the rubble. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation took charge of the rescue and replanted it in the Bronx, where it was nursed back to health over nearly a decade. The tree's recovery from the physical and emotional trauma is mirrored by the city's resilience and regrowth and the development of an oak forest on the 9/11 Memorial grounds. "Between the trees, they saved three empty spaces. Two spaces remained where the towers once stood. They would stay empty forever, because nothing could fill them." The third space was reserved for the "Survivor Tree," which was returned to the World Trade Center in 2010, offering visitors peace, hope, and the first blossoms every spring. Rubin's lively and energetic paneled art takes the focus quickly from destruction and desolation to growth and renewal, and the spare, moving account is perfectly suited to young audiences. A volume that could be part of any unit on 9/11 for children, or a lesson on resilience. Luann Toth July/August 2021 p.140(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The inspiring true story of a tree's regrowth literally from ashes. Dubbed the "Survivor Tree," a Callery pear tree that once stood in the plaza of the World Trade Center narrates, in first person, present tense, this moving tale of life before and after the horrors of 9/11. The tree was proud of its "job"--offering shade and a nesting spot for birds and serving as an early harbinger of spring. Then the unimaginable occurred. The tree was eventually discovered, seemingly lifeless, beneath mounds of rubble and removed to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx for rehabilitation. Miraculously, it flourished, and, after nine years, was returned to a newly rebuilt plaza, where it stands today, a beacon of renewed hope. The simple, quietly touching text focuses on the tree as a symbol of regeneration rather than devastation. The splendid illustrations include several spreads that depict, in a stark yet nonfrightening manner, scenes of chaotic destruction. Many also highlight vertical lines and aerial perspectives, prompting viewers to focus attention upward, aptly symbolizing soaring architecture and the tree's growth and also helping readers understand the rise of hope and spirits in the wake of tragedy. Additionally, the illustrations' delicate lines and muted palette have a freshness and airiness that suits the theme of life's rebirth, echoed in the tree's final reassurance that "spring will come." People are portrayed diverse in gender, race, ethnicity, and physical ability. A heartfelt author's note and historical material conclude the book. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 77.8% of actual size.) A resonant, beautifully rendered testament to life and renewal. (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
