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September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be All Right

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Heartfelt and touching book by 1st graders at Masterson Elementary School in Kennet, Missouri, about the day after the tragic events of September 11th. These students were given a commemorative Sept.

On September 11th horrific events occurred, yet through the simple text and vibrant art of first graders, we are reminded that the world continued the next day. On each page, children experience the comforts of ordinary routines, such as their teacher reading books to them, having homework and recess, and knowing that 2 + 2 still equals 4. This is a poignant message of hope that reassures us all that even after bad things happen, tomorrow always brings a new day.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

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224 people want to read

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5 stars
143 (56%)
4 stars
71 (27%)
3 stars
23 (9%)
2 stars
9 (3%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
Profile Image for Kelsey.
2,354 reviews66 followers
August 10, 2016
Age: Preschool-1st grade

Written and illustrated by a first-grade class in Kennett, Missouri, these children reflect on how the world remains the same after September 11th. Even though bad things did happen, good things continue to happen.

May be more for the enjoyment of adults because kids may not want to see pictures that other kids drew or hear a story that other kids wrote.

May be good as a supplemental story but not by itself. What about the people in New York whose lives really were changed after September 11th? What about Muslim-Americans who have received prejudicial treatment after September 11th?
Profile Image for Amanda Brooke.
1,057 reviews12 followers
September 14, 2024
It's always fun to read a book by children outloud to children. They get the, "I could do that feeling". It was interesting how some groups I read to knew about the events of 911, but none of them made the connection to the date September 11th. some had no idea what the book was about and I heard a little voice say, "well that's confusing". Which is exactly how I felt as events unfolded on that very day. I don't mind leaving children in the comfort of confusion for a while, but learning is inevitable. This book has the power of beauty in that each day the sun comes up and we are all okay. Let's keep it that way.
Profile Image for Paola Cortes.
28 reviews
April 7, 2023
I loved this book! It truly gives real students perspective on what happened after 9/11 and how their life was.
Profile Image for Kate Grahek.
7 reviews6 followers
March 13, 2017
This book was written and illustrated by a first grade classroom in Missouri. It plays through the events of 9/11. It goes on to explain how September 12th was a new day for America and everything would be alright again. It shows the resiliency and positive attitudes kids have which is extremely refreshing!
Profile Image for Kirsten Stuber.
12 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2015
September 12th We Knew Everything Would Be All Right is as Kids Are Authors Award winning story about what happened in America the day after the tragic events of September 11th. This book is a written from the perspective of a classroom of First Grade Students of H. Byron Masterson Elementary in Kennett, Missouri. The book begins by stating that "On September 11, 2001, many bad things happened. It then goes on to describe the events that took place in the lives of the students, where they knew things were going to be all right because normal, everyday things continued to happen in the aftermath of September 11th. Things like the sun shining, birds singing, the teacher meeting them at the door, and that 2 + 2 still is equal to 4. The book goes on to show many colorful illustrations from the first grade authors of simple, ordinary everyday things like the classroom, patriotic symbols and their homes. In the end the book states that it is "Not The End."

This book could be used for several different lessons in the K-3 classroom. First, September 12th could be used as a history lesson to help younger students to know why we take a moment of silence on September 11th. It could also be used a wonderful example of how children can be author's too. I also think that this book could be used to teach a child who may have experienced tragedy in his/her life that life really will go on the next day, and the day after that.

This is a WOW book for me first and foremost because the tragic events of September 11th were felt by just about every citizen in America. I can remember being at home with my two young children by my side playing innocently, while I watched the news show over and over again. At that time my husband was active duty in the Air Force and I was terribly worried about the Americans who were hurt, their families, and our military because they would soon be deployed to take care of whatever needed taking care of. September 11th was something that I will never forget. As a teacher this is WOW book for me because I am required to teach my student's about September 11th, but there aren't many materials suitable to teach my young students about the events of that day. I really like that message of the book, that life will go on even when something as awful as the events of September 11th happened. I also love that this book is written and illustrated by first grade students who wanted to teach others how to cope with the tragedy even though they were so young.
Profile Image for Gianni Outram.
23 reviews2 followers
October 18, 2016
September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright , written by first graders, serves as a source of comfort by sending the important message that although the events of September 11th, 2001 shook the world, the world did not end. In wake of the tragedy, these first grade students write about how the next day, their world was not shattered; they continued on to enjoy the routines of their regular school day. This book reminds readers that after tough times, there is still hope that the world will carry on and we will be okay.

This book could be a wonderful way to introduce young students to the possibility of harsh realities that are present in our world. They can learn that although these events can be very scary, the world will continue to go on to become better and carry on in the face of adversity. Students can use the book to feel empowered to express their feelings of hope after hard times and write and draw their feelings just as the young author and illustrators have done in this Kids Are Authors award-winning and hopeful book. Schools often commemorate this day somehow during the school day, so this book can serve as a read aloud to start conversations about the tough topic.

This is a wow book for me because September 11th, 2001 was a life changing event for me. I was in first grade when this happened and later that week, my dad left for a 12 month war tour. For the rest of my young life, my dad was in and out of war, serving our country. I had to go to school and carry on, knowing and hoping that my dad would be okay and that the world would recover from the tragic events of 9/11 and the war that followed. This deep personal connection could be a great stepping stone in demonstrating to students how powerful literature can be. Being vulnerability while sharing this connection could also demonstrate teaching with an open heart and can open the classroom up as a safe place to really emotionally connect to literature.

Profile Image for Jessica Lane.
60 reviews2 followers
September 8, 2016
September 12 is a book about September 11, 2001 from the perspective of first graders. It talks about even though bad things happen, things were still going to be okay.

I really enjoyed reading about this tragic event through the eyes of elementary students. Even though they didn't know exactly what happened, they knew it was really bad. But, they also knew things could still be good in life. I also really liked how they talked about the unity of Americans on September 12. I think it's really awesome that they noticed that even though they were so young.

This would be a great book to read to elementary students to talk to them about 9/11. It's in language they understand. It also would be a good way to talk about tragedy in general.
71 reviews1 follower
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April 28, 2016
This was a very sweet book. This book was written and illustrated by a bunch of first graders. They tell of the story about the day after 9/11. This book is from their point of view and how they though everything was going to be alright.

I really liked this book because it is different. It is all from the children's perspective and it is really cool to see how they viewed 9/11 and the day after. Their illustrations are also really cute and sweet.

This book could be used to teach children about that day in history and how we all over came it.
58 reviews1 follower
April 25, 2016
This book was beautiful. It was written by a class of first graders following the attack on 9/11. It is meant to be encouraging and full of hope. The simple wording and thoughts of children is a powerful thing. The illustrations were also done by the students and they were haunting in a way. It was very cool to be able to see this event through the eyes and ears of a child. I loved this book. I would probably read it on 9/11 to talk about a community and country coming together as one.
98 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2009
Beautiful example of how teachers can turn bad events into meaningful moments in children's lives.
Profile Image for Savannah Lee.
28 reviews
September 17, 2021
September 12th We Knew Everything Would Be All Right is written and illustrated by a class of first-graders of H. Byron Masteron Elementary in Kennett Missouri. Their book is about the day after the tragic events of September 11. It is about the class finds comfort in things that remained the same, such as recess, homework, 2+2=4, and parents that reminded them that they are loved. They wrote about how the world continues on and eventually everything would be all right.

I think this is so sweet and heartbreaking to read. It shows the perspective of how this class of first graders felt after that tragic day. The text is theirs, their words and their handwriting, and the illustrations are hand-drawn and colored. I can not help but get teary-eyed while reading this book and imagining how children comprehended this event. I was not even a year old when 9/11 occurred and I get emotional reading and seeing things about it. This book does very well in including kids and how they processed this event.

I think this book would be useful in an elementary classroom, it is not too graphic but does touch on the events. The book opens the topic of conversation on what did happen that day without going into so much detail that could be too difficult for some younger children. The book also can be related to hope and how the country united together to bear through that difficult time. There are going to be times and days when it is difficult but there is always another day for things to turn around.
Profile Image for Sarah.
6 reviews
February 28, 2018
The book September 12 is written and illustrated by the Masterson Elementary Students. The book, written about the day after September 11, 2001, shows how the students in the 1st classroom knew the world was going to be all right. They knew this because their daily schedule went back to normal, their parents still tucked them into bed, and they still had homework. Even though this book does touch on such a dark event in our history, the book has themes such as hope and comfort. I would give this book a 5-star rating, because it takes something tragic and gives you feelings of hope that the United States of America will gain its strength once more. I would recommend this book to any teacher or parent who wants to teach their classroom or young child about 9-11. Due to the fact that it is written by children, it is appropriate for children and they will be able to not only understand what happened, but also be able to find that theme of hope and comfort very easily within the story.
60 reviews
December 9, 2016
September 11th was a tragic day, but the the next day still came. The world didn't stop turning because humans are resilient. The day went on just like any other, but this first grade class felt a little more pride in their country.

Like the children that wrote this book, I was also in 1st grade when the plains crashed into the Twin Towers. I wish we had had this kind of outlet to really process and understand what happened on this day. I remember it being very confusing, but an activity like this really would have helped me understand what happened at such a young age.

I love the initiative this teacher took to give the kids in his class an outlet to express their emotions that day and encourage the other children around them. Tragedies seem to be happening all the time now and I would love to help students express their grief in ways like this one day as a social worker.
50 reviews
February 10, 2021
"September 12th We Knew Everything Would Be All Right" is a book written by a group of classmates right after 9/11. This book displays how the day after the twin towers where hit that everything would be alright, everyone was scared, parents, teachers, kids, etc. Every citizen of the United States came together on September 12th and said everything will be alright.

If I could give this book 50 stars I would, this book shows the true emotion of what kids went through during that scary time and it also gave them the opportunity to be creative with how they felt about it. Everything in this book falls right into place and it would be a great book to read in class to teach about 9/11.
13 reviews1 follower
November 14, 2018
September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be Allright is on my favorites book shelf because history cannot be forgotten. The work is written and illustrated by 1st grade students. When you read this book you can feel the love coming from each page and the resurgence that bad things do occur in life, but everything at the end of the day is going to be allright.

In the reading classroom, teachers could use this story on September 11th, to teach about what happened that day in a more history literacy setting.
66 reviews
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September 19, 2024
Author: H. Byron Masterson Elementary School, M.O. Kennet
Book Title: ‘September 12: We Knew Everything Would Be All Right’
Audience: Children
Theme: The theme behind this book is showing and teaching the students the significance behind 9/11 and how it brought our country together stronger than ever.
Why I chose this book: I chose this book because it has a lot of significance to our U.S. history. I also loved how the kids were incorporated in this book because then it has more meaning than just about 9/11.
Profile Image for Carey.
106 reviews1 follower
September 14, 2023
I get the message they are trying to convey, but this is historically inaccurate. On September 12th people were still worried. They haven't heard from their loved ones and were anxious. First responders were digging through the rubble trying to find a hint of life.

Potent dust was everywhere and those first responders are still feeling the effects of it even today. Anyway it was far from the Chee and Chong harmony the book portrays September 12.
Profile Image for Amanda Johnson.
76 reviews5 followers
September 17, 2019
For someone who was a kid when September 11th happened, this book resonated with me. I think this is a great book to explain the unity that happened after September 11th. The world changed and kids saw a lot of ugly that day, but they also saw the world come together and the United States felt a little smaller as the nation bonded over the tragedy.
Profile Image for L.
283 reviews
September 18, 2022
I love to read this book to my students! Not only does it tie in with the events of 9/11, but it helps children to know that when things go wrong (and they will) everything will eventually be all right. I always remind my students that it's OK to feel sad, nervous, scared, or angry. I also remind them to talk about their feelings with a trusted adult.
Profile Image for Mary Canupp.
58 reviews
September 12, 2025
This book embodies the sport of hope and resilience through the best eyes possible, children. I dives into the hope children have post 9/11 and how our world can be so much better if we just listen to children a little bit more. This would be a great book to read during a 9/11 lesson with younger students as it really does let you see how kids handle the events of 9/11.
48 reviews
January 29, 2018
This book was written and illustrated by children. It is such a inspiring book, it shows young minds perspective of the horrific events that occurred on September 11th. This book shows that every thing will be alright because life moves on.
Profile Image for Kim.
2,609 reviews8 followers
December 29, 2018
A group of 1st graders created this book to let everyone know that everything would be alright after the World Trade Center attack. First, the sun came up on the 12th and then the kids routine remained the same.
Profile Image for Kyra Coffell.
40 reviews
September 20, 2020
This book was a recollection of a tragic time in United States history, that was turned light hearted by the students in that time period. The pictures drawn by the students were adorable and depicted their vision of the event on 9/11. Overall an amazing book with great ideas.
1 review
September 12, 2022
This book is a reminder that children had to process the events of 9/11 too. Together with their teacher, a 1st grade class published this book and easily showed the world from the perspective of innocent children.
62 reviews
November 19, 2019
This is a great story of how these students felt after 9/11/2001. The story and illustrations will touch your heart.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews

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