Nolan and Gonzalez join forces to create a timely read in preparation for the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11. A steel beam from the World Trade Center towers is transported to a foundry in Louisiana, where the seven and a half tons of melted and molded steel transforms into the bow of the USS New York, a landing platform/dock in the U.S. Navy. Including a big interruption from another horrific event, Hurricane Katrina, production of the bow takes eight years. At its completion, the gigantic vessel not only sails to New York for a grand celebration, where it stops across from Ground Zero and is greeted with a 21-gun salute, but also returns again on the tenth anniversary of the event. Nolan's straightforward and informative text perfectly complements Gonzalez's beautiful full-page illustrations to capture the enormity of the transformation. Additional information on the USS New York closes the volume. This earnest picture book will help put the events of 9/11 in context for children too young to remember it themselves.--Lock, Anita Copyright 2016 Booklist

After the twin towers fell on 9/11, one of the beams recovered from the site was melted in a foundry and used to form the bow of a Navy warship, the USS New York. Nolan (PB&J Hooray!) treats the attack gently ("The World Trade Center towers came down. Almost three thousand people lost their lives"), then moves on to the warship's construction and triumphant launch. Gonazalez's (Toad Weather) breathtaking spreads dazzle. Early on, he presents a quiet, haunting image of the catastrophe as a woman crosses a New York City street crowded with taxis. All appears normal until viewers notice a reflection in a car's side mirror in the foreground, which shows one of the jets streaking toward its target. Later, sunset-illuminated cloudscapes form vast, stirring backdrops for the USS New York at sea. The emphasis is not on damage and destruction, but on America's power to recover. Teachers and parents looking for picture books that celebrate the nation and its military will welcome Nolan and Gonzalez's work. Ages 7-10. Author's agent: Steven Chudney, Chudney Agency. Illustrator's agent: Deborah Warren, East West Literary. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 3-5-Nolan and Gonzalez have created a powerfully subtle work concerning the September 11, 2001, attacks and the U.S. Navy ship that contains refashioned tower wreckage in its structure. The book begins with 9/11 and the damage thereafter. One of the metal beams from Ground Zero was removed to a foundry in Louisiana, where it was reworked and shaped into the bow of the USS New York. The book also features another tragedy of the 2000s, as the USS New York's construction was affected by Hurricane Katrina. The text quietly guides readers through the narrative, with no more than a few sentences set on each page. Facts and figures related to the USS New York are presented after the main narrative. Gonzalez's full-page illustrations are brilliant, with every page plastered in heavy color. His bold palette, paired with folds and sharp edges, gives the work a fitting industrial ambience. The tones convey moods and action: deep reds, yellows, and oranges move across the metalworking furnace; black and gray clouds billow up from the towers across the page; and morning light streams bright against the hull of the ship. Images of destruction are shown respectfully yet dramatically. VERDICT This beautiful, sober, and hopeful recounting of a difficult chapter in American history is a stellar addition to history collections.-Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant Public Library, IA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Commemorating the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and honoring lives lost in the World Trade Center, this book relates the inspiring story of a huge beam taken from the rubble; moved to a shipyard in Louisiana, it's skillfully re-crafted into the bow of the newly constructed USS New York. Somber, dramatic full-spread artwork chronicles the beam's journey to its new position of honor. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.