This appears to be Magee's debut, which makes it particularly impressive. I found myself weeping on more than one occasion, as I read this one, and I found both story and artwork immensely moving. It is a story of hope, and Magee and Wong capture that sense of hope here. Perhaps this is because it symbolizes, not just the terrible hurt and damage done by the terrorist attack and its aftermath, but also the strength of survivors, their resilience, courage and gradual healing. Obviously, the tale of the survivor tree is an aspect of the larger 9/11 story that is considered very powerful, and particularly suitable for children. Although quite popular recently, the story seems to have first been retold in picture-book form in 2011, on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, in Cheryl Somers Aubin and Sheila Harrington's The Survivor Tree: Inspired by a True Story. In August of this past year (2020), Miracle of Little Tree: The 9/11 Survivor Tree's Incredible Story was released. This coming August will bring author Marcie Colleen and illustrator Aaron Becker's Survivor Tree. May of this year saw the release of this title from author Ann Magee and illustrator Nicole Wong, as well as author/illustrator Sean Rubin's This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth. Quite a few of them address the story of the survivor tree - a symbol of hope in dark times. As notable dates and anniversaries tend to find their way into children's publishing, it is less surprising that a number of picture-books have either recently been published, or are forthcoming on the subject. It's hard for me to believe, but this coming September 11th will mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Then, in 2011, on the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, it was returned to its former home, incorporated into the memorial park built to honor the victims of that terrible day. When its few remaining green leaves were noticed by a rescue worker, the tree was excavated and evacuated, taken to a nursery in the Bronx, and slowly nursed back to health. Astonishingly, this tree survived, clinging to life amidst the wreckage. On a bright, sunny morning in September, when two skyscrapers came crashing down in lower Manhattan, brought low by one of the worst terrorist attacks in human history, the mounds of charred metal and debris buried a small Callery pear tree, formerly standing at the base of the World Trade Center.

Branches of Hope by Ann Magee