This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin

 


This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin tells the moving story of the “Survivor Tree,” a Callery pear tree that was buried under the rubble of the Twin Towers after the September 11 attacks. Despite being burned, broken, and thought to be lost, the tree was rescued, nursed back to health, and replanted at the 9/11 Memorial as a symbol of resilience, hope, and renewal.

Told from the perspective of the tree itself, this picture book helps young readers and older students, too grapple with the tragedy of 9/11 while focusing on themes of healing, growth, and community.


Curriculum Connections

Social Studies / History 

  • 9/11 Education: Provides an accessible entry point into teaching about September 11th, especially for middle and high school students who were not alive during the events.

  • Contemporary History: Encourages discussion of how historical memory is preserved through memorials, monuments, and symbols.

  • Civic Engagement: Opens conversations about community resilience, first responders, and how societies rebuild after tragedy.

English Language Arts

  • Point of View: Students can analyze how the author uses personification (the tree narrating its own story) to bring empathy and connection to a historical event.

  • Symbolism & Metaphor: The Survivor Tree becomes a powerful metaphor for resilience and rebirth rich ground for literary analysis.

  • Narrative Writing: Can inspire students to write narratives from the perspective of other symbols or landmarks that have witnessed history.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

  • Resilience & Recovery: The tree’s survival becomes a model for human perseverance through hardship.

  • Collective Memory: Students explore how communities grieve, remember, and heal together.

  • Hope & Renewal: Reinforces the idea that even in devastation, growth and healing are possible.

Discussion Questions

Social Studies

  1. Why do you think the Survivor Tree became such an important symbol after 9/11?

  2. How do memorials and monuments help societies remember and heal from tragedies?

  3. What role did first responders and communities play in helping New York recover after 9/11?

English Language Arts

  1. How does telling the story from the perspective of the tree change the way we understand the events of 9/11?

  2. What symbols in literature or history can you compare to the Survivor Tree?

  3. How does Sean Rubin use imagery and illustration to convey both grief and hope?

Social-Emotional Learning

  1. The Survivor Tree was broken and scarred but continued to grow. What does this teach us about resilience?

  2. In what ways do people and communities “grow back” after experiencing hardship?

  3. How can we honor difficult moments in history while also finding hope for the future?

This Very Tree is a profound and moving picture book that connects young people to one of the most significant events in modern history. For middle and high school students, it provides not only a historical lens but also an emotional one, reminding us all that resilience is possible even when we feel broken. Just as the Survivor Tree continues to grow, so too can we carry forward strength, memory, and hope.

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