Hello wonderful readers! I hope your May is finishing up nicely. Over here, we are one day away from the end of the longest year of our life. My Kindergartener will finish virtual school and while it was absolutely the right choice for our family to stay virtual... we are exhausted and so ready for lazy summer days. I'm also excited for the extra time that I'll have now to write, blog, and share more books. I'm going to be getting back into both #TuesdayFromTheTrenches and #ForLittleReaders, so I hope you'll join me for this wonderful book-filled summer!
I'm beyond excited to share a new book today from debut author, Amanda Davis, illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. I had the chance to read an ARC of 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag and I was truly touched by its beauty.
This book was absolutely stunning. The text was just the right mix of informative and lyrical, inspiring and instructive. Amanda did such a nice job of telling a story that I personally did not know. She shares the true story of a flag flown over the destruction following the tragic events of 9/11 and its journey through repair and display. I was captivated from the start and so intrigued by the journey of a battered and scarred flag to become whole and complete again through the hands of people from across the nation. I loved reading about the people who sewed the flag back together. I loved seeing diversity bring connection and healing. I loved the gorgeous illustrations and felt hope and healing pouring through the pages.
The book gave me a renewed sense that our differences are our strengths. That we can come together and find unity through diversity. I hope for that. I work for that. This book is a lovely manifestation of that.
For our activity to go with this book, I had my girls make their own flag, working together, piece by piece. We talked about the book while they worked on the project and about how everyone has something to contribute to make a beautiful, complete work of art.
I let the kids cut out the stripes and the stars in their own way. It didn't matter that the stripes weren't straight and the stars were mostly rectangles. They did it themselves and they were really proud of their efforts. They remembered parts of the book and talked about how they could be helpers too. It was really a great morning!
After reading and making our own pieced-together flag, we enjoyed visiting the website we found in the sources of the book and learning about the people from Arizona (our state) who helped piece the flag together. We loved browsing further through the "Flag Stitcher Stories" page and learning more about the people who helped sew the flag back together. The flag visited all 50 states, and it was really neat to read about the people who participated. Highly recommend.
I hope you will all take the time to read 30,000 Stitches. With the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001 quickly approaching this book is a lovely tribute and reminder to all of us. If you make your own flags, I would love to see them! Tag them on social media with #ForLittleReaders for me to see what you're doing. Truly this is a book you don't want to miss.
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Happy Summer, my friends! I hope you'll join me on For Little Readers throughout the summer for activities to keep the littles busy and engaged. I love paring activities with gorgeous books and bringing together reading, art, and imagination. It's a magical connection.