Ladybug Nominee

This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin (Henry Holt and Company, 2021)

 In the 1970s, a Callery pear tree was planted in New York City. And every year, its flowers ushered in the spring. But on September 11, 2001, everything changed. America was gravely wounded, as was the tree. This is the triumphant story of a tree that survived a tragedy--and of a nation in recovery. Told from the tree's perspective, this is a touching tribute to those we lost and to those who, after the towers fell, picked up the pieces, planted a forest, and built a new city.

About Sean Rubin

Sean Rubin was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a city kid, he entertained himself by collecting interesting things, learning about unusual subjects, and by drawing characters from books, especially Redwall and The Lord of the Rings. Bolivar, the first book Rubin both wrote and illustrated, received several awards. He studied art and archeology at Princeton University, where he met his wife, Lucy. They have two sons and currently live in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they enjoy hiking, visiting museums, and drinking chocolate egg creams. Learn more at http://seanrubin.com/

Activities & Links

• There is an author's note and a brief history essay at the end of the book (written for adult readers) which provides a lot of background and context for the story. 
  
• An interview with Sean Rubin from the National Veterans Memorial Museum (NVMM): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww35KS-eeqA
  
•  A video tour of the Arthur Ross Citywide Nursey where the survivor tree recovered: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4YSRHeO8uc
• Learn more about Callary Pear Trees and why they are no longer planted in the US: https://arboretum.harvard.edu/stories/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-ornamental-callery-pear-tree/ . There are facts for kids about this tree at https://kids.kiddle.co/Pyrus_calleryana
  

 

Suggestions for Further Reading

• If you want more of Sean Rubin's work check out the Bolivar series
  
• If you want more books about resilience check out the NVMM Reads booklist at https://nationalvmm.org/nvmm-reads/ 
• Check out the other 2022 Ladybug Longlist titles related to trees at http://nhbookcenter.blogspot.com/2022/02/ladybug-longlist-trees.html
  
• For a trip back in time to NYC as it looked in the 1960s consider This is New York by Miroslav Sasek. More classic NYC picture books are included on this list: https://www.rockettes.com/blog/10-kids-books-about-nyc-picked-by-nypl-librarians/
  

This is one of ten titles nominated for the 2022 Ladybug Picture Book Award.

We will be posting information about a different nominee each Friday throughout the summer and will issue a pdf voters guide featuring all ten titles at Labor Day.