Staffers in the New York office of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing responded to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States by compiling a list of children's books that may help families or simply provide comfort.
The suggested books cover such topics as death and grieving, violence and tolerance, patriotism, and firefighters and rescue workers, an e-mailed newsletter for children's librarians said.
Death and Grieving
"Goodbye Mousie" by Robie Harris, for ages 4 and older: the story of a little boy who wakes up to discover that his pet mouse has died. After expressing anger and disbelief, the boy learns that sadness and memories are part of saying goodbye.
"The Tenth Good Thing About Barney" by Judith Viorst, ages 4 and older: a young boy copes with the death of his cat, Barney.
"The Color of Absence: 12 Stories About Loss And Hope," a collection of short stories for teens.
"Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye, ages 12 and older: tells the story of a 14-year-old Arab-American girl's move from St. Louis, Mo., to Jerusalem and her experiences with prejudice and religious intolerance that stem from her budding romance with a Jewish boy.
"Ghandi," written and illustrated by Demi, ages 7 and older: An inspiring picture book about the tireless crusader for peace through nonviolence.
"Uncle Sam And Old Glory: Symbols of America" by Jean West and Delno C. West, ages 8 and older: This picture book includes such American symbols as Uncle Sam, the Statue of Liberty and the American flag.
"Liberty" by Lynn Curlee, ages 7 and older: a lavishly illustrated history of the building of the Statue of Liberty.
"America the Beautiful" by Katharine Lee Bates, ages 4 and older: 14 paintings of America depicted in 1893 illustrate the first stanza of Bates' poem.
"Hand in Hand: An American History Through Poetry," selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Peter M. Fiore, ages 8 and older: more than 75 patriotic songs, speeches and individual anthems by poets such as Walt Whitman, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes and Robert Frost.
"Firefighters A-Z" by Chris Demerest, ages 4 and older: Demerest, a volunteer firefighter, wrote and illustrated this alphabet book detailing the dramatic but serious job of a firefighter.
"Fighting Fires" by Susan Kuklin, ages 4 and older: a behind-the-scenes photo essay tour of the vehicles, equipment and hard work involved in firefighting.
"Stop, Drop And Roll: A Jessica Worries Book" by Margery Cuyler, ages 5 and older: Worry-prone Jessica is very nervous about Fire Prevention Week. After many funny practice mishaps, Jessica learns that taking proper precautions and knowing what to do in an emergency is the best cure for her fire safety worries.
"Fire Fighters" by Norma Simon, ages 4 and older: To teach fire safety, this book follows a team of firefighting Dalmatians from the firehouse where they live to the scene of a fire.