Julie Gassman

On a sunny day in September, when planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Twins Towers came tumbling down, hundreds of thousands of desperate people were looking for a way off of Manhattan. With the bridges, buses, subways, and commuter trains shut down as a security measure, it seemed they were trapped on the island. It was then that the captains and sailors of approximately 150 ships, summoned by a general call for assistance from the US Coast Guard, stepped in to help. From ferryboats to merchant ships, tugboats to party boats, these vessels helped to carry more than 500,000 people away from the smoke and chaos of New York City, and across the Hudson River to safety in New Jersey. It has been described as the largest maritime rescue effort in history...

The story of the maritime evacuation of lower Manhattan on September 11th, 2001 has been told in the immensely moving television documentary, Boatlift, narrated by Tom Hanks, which I highly recommend. I myself was well aware of the importance of maritime transportation on that day, far before I ever saw the film, as my mother escaped Manhattan on 9/11 thanks to these boats. She was taken to New Jersey with a coworker, who then kindly drove her all the way back home, to suburban New York state. So it is that when I happened upon Saved by the Boats: The Heroic Sea Evacuation of September 11 in the children's section of my public library, in their recent 9/11 book display, I immediately snatched it up. The story, written by Julie Gassman, who herself escaped Manhattan on that day thanks to the maritime evacuation, is simple but powerful, and I found myself tearing up, while reading it. The artwork from Steve Moors, in muted grayish tones that are sometimes relieved by a bright blue, didn't speak to me at first, but eventually felt just right for the story, capturing the contrast between the gray dust that coated everything and everyone that day, and the sparkling blue of that September sky.

In the end, this was a deeply poignant read for me, and I came away with a renewed respect and admiration for all of the civilian boat captains and sailors who made the choice to help their fellow human beings on that day, in the face of uncertainty and danger. I think this picture-book, which focuses on the goodness that was displayed that day, rather than on the evil committed, would make a good introduction, for younger children who may have encountered the subject for the first time, and who have questions.… (mais)