Book Review: The Little Chapel That Stood

Title: The Little Chapel That Stood
Author: A.B. Curtiss
Illustrator: Mirto Golino
Publisher: OldCastle Publishing
Age: 9-12
Hardcover: 40 pages
Cost: $12.89
Buy it: here
Rating:  5 1/2 Seeds out of 6

As the anniversary of 9/11 approaches, many parents of children (too young to remember the events of the day) struggle knowing how to talk to their kids about it… or whether to at all.  The Little Chapel That Stood is one answer to this very common dilemma.

The Plot:

St. Paul's Chapel is a tiny historic chapel built in 1766, but it probably only seemed tiny because it was situated next to the World Trade Center. This is a place – made of “bricks and God” -- that has seen some very historic, and nation-defining, moments. For example, after George Washington was inaugurated the first president, he walked down Broadway to this church to pray for the new nation; Alexander Hamilton is buried in the churchyard nearby. On September 11, St. Paul’s became a make-shift service area for firemen and policemen trying to save the victims.

Some lines in the book refers to the firefighters who hung their shoes on the old iron fence as they

"Pulled on their boots and raced to the Towers,
Climbing melting steel to flaming showers.
Oh, what gallant men did we lose
Who never came back to get their shoes."

The title of the book, “The Little Chapel That Stood” refers to the fact that -- at the end of that awful day -- not a single pane of glass had been broken from that little Manhattan church.

The Bottom Line:

This book broaches the subject of the terrorist attacks in an honest manner, while avoiding unnecessary sentimentality.  And the conclusion is realistically hopeful. We aren’t left to falsely believe that all evil in the world has been vanquished, based on the survival of this little building.  However, in the midst of sadness and absolute evil – something good transpired. People gathered, steeled their nerves, and did the unthinkable -- they went inside the burning buildings to try to save as many as possible.  

For Mom and Dad To Consider:

Many of you, as you sat transfixed in front of the television, made a conscious decision to shelter your children from the horrors of the day.  But so many years later, do we still have the same tactics?  Do we cry openly about this tragedy? Do we act like this anniversary is too complicated to talk about, considering the consequent wars and politics that – frankly – we don’t quite understand? How do we teach our children that evil exists, while also providing hope and security in the midst of it?

If you haven’t already, this year might be the time to break your silence on the subject. Number one, things are generally less scary when they are dealt with openly and honestly.  Number two, our children need to understand the truth about our history and how their lives might play into the next chapter of the story.  

To Talk to Your Kids About:

You are not going to have all the answers, but your kids will be exposed to this historical event at school, on the endless news cycles, or in conversations…  so you might as well get talking.  

First, try to gauge how much they already know about that happened that day.  Gently ask questions to determine where you should start.  

Second, talk to them whether it is important to remembering bad events. Why would we want to talk about this day?

Thirdly, talk to them about history in general. The Wall Street Journal, in reviewing A Patriot’s History of the United States, wrote, “History is in part a tale of grand passions and great ideas – of conflict, politics, and war – but it can also be a quieter chronicle of particular people following their own sense of purpose or, to use an old fashioned word, virtue.”

On 9/11, the choices of thousands of individuals were brought into the bright light of history.  How did the choices of the terrorists affect the world that day? How did the choices of the firefighters affect us?

Sometimes you don’t have time to really deliberate over a decision -- and the choices you make are the ones that come from the heart.  How did the police officers and the firefighters make such courageous decisions, even though they were forced to make them so quickly?  What kind of thoughts and virtue prepared them for the role they played that day?

How can we be people of virtue and courage?

How do you plan on talking to your kids about 9/11?  Leave us a comment!