Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember
– Author Jacqueline Jules Guest Post:
Are You Ready To Remember the 25th Anniversary of 9-11?
This week is the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Most older Americans can still recall what they were doing when they heard the news, but youngsters may not know about the event at all. Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember by Jacqueline Jules is a lyrical picture book that brings the event to life for today’s children in the voices of the children who lived it. Learn about this book and read my review. Then read the author’s guest post where she explains the birth of her book and she asks readers :Are You Ready To Remember the 25th Anniversary of 9-11?
About
Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember
Book Details:
Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember
By Jacqueline Jules
Illustrations by Eszter Anna Rácz
Genre: Picture Book
Published by: Press
Publication Date: September 19, 2023
Number of Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781638191520
Book Links: Amazon
On September 11, 2001, American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. One hundred and eighty-four innocent people were killed. The event occurred at 9:37 a.m. and was part of a coordinated terrorist attack against the United States involving four hijacked flights.
Author Jacqueline Jules, who was a school librarian in Arlington, Virginia on 9/11, tells the story of that day through a tapestry of poems. These poems tell the stories of young people from all aspects of the Arlington and Pentagon communities and are composites drawn from personal experiences with students and friends residing in Northern Virginia at the time of the attack.
September 11th changed childhoods. Anyone old enough to remember that day will never forget, but today’s children need to be told the story.
Storybook Lady Review
Smoke at the Pentagon:
Poems to Remember by Jacqueline Jules
September 11 is a day of remembrance, that memorializes a day that no adult will forget. Twenty five years ago the terrorist attacks that destroyed the twin towers and part of the pentagon made everyone feel that nowhere was safe and launched our country into a war. Author Jacqueline Jules was a teacher in Arlington at the time. This touching book of poems written in the voices of children near the Pentagon captures all the ways it affected these kids. The event effected us all. Jules captures the same feelings that I heard expressed by children half way across the nation. Children today will hear about the event. This book helps today’s children understand the event in a way that no history book can teach. The poems speak to us about grief, uncertainty, prejudice, air travel and war. It can help them relate to some of the feelings that adults in their lives are experiencing when they recall 9/11. Unfortunately attacks are not just history, hate crimes still happen and this book would also be an excellent source for children dealing with similar issues. Illustrator, Eszter Anna Rácz brings an additional dimension to Jules’ poetry making this a book that truely brings history alive for youngsters.
Guest Post
Are You Ready To Remember
the 25th Anniversary of 9-11?by Jacqueline Jules, Author of
Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to RememberWill September 11, 2026 really be 25 years since the terrorist attacks? 25 years?
Most older Americans remember that tragic day like it was yesterday. They feel a dividing line between 2001 and the years after. Younger Americans, particularly children, may not even be aware of what happened.
On September 11, 2001, I was living in Arlington, Virginia the city where the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, is located. I was stunned to learn that the Pentagon was on fire from an airplane terrorists had deliberately crashed into its walls. An attack on the Pentagon undermined the U.S. military. If the Pentagon wasn’t safe, what was?
Americans felt vulnerable all over the country. We wondered if we could ever recover. In response to the terrorist attacks, the US went to war with Afghanistan for over twenty years. Airport security tightened drastically. Giant planters and other concrete barriers were installed outside government buildings. Surveillance cameras were increased. The aftermath of the September 11th attacks has become a part of our everyday life. Has this made us forget the lives lost on that day?
Almost three thousand people perished on 9/11 in New York, Arlington, and Pennsylvania. Tens of thousands of emergency responders and survivors have subsequently died or still suffer from chronic health problems traced to the fire, debris, and toxic dust.
On the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, our young people need to know what happened and how Americans rebuilt after the tragedy. The Pentagon was restored within a year and a beautiful memorial erected on the grounds. There are impressive memorials at the site of the Twin Towers in New York City and all around the country. These memorials remind us that we can recover from terrible events. In an anxious world where wars and other disasters are reported daily, the history of 9/11 can offer the next generation lessons in resilience.
My book, Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember, contains twenty narrative poems. They can be performed in the classroom as Reader’s Theater or as monologues. Each poem shares the perspective of a young person who was impacted by the attack on the Pentagon. Several speak about resilience. For example, Tyra’s poem relates watching the Pentagon rebuilt the same year her mother died of cancer. She says, “Seeing that building reborn bit by bit helps me believe that one day I won’t feel so broken, either.” Nelson’s poem shares the community response on 9/11. “People stood in line to give blood. Stood with candles. Vowed to rebuild.” And Jennifer, disturbed by vandalism against a small Muslim-owned grocery, says, “Our world doesn’t need any more broken glass.”
Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember was released in September 2023 by Bushel & Peck. I hope you will have materials ready in September 2026 to discuss the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with young people in your home or classroom.
A full teacher’s guide is available here.
Teacher Tips are in the image below.
For a list of more resources, please see the following links.
Lists of 9-11 Books:
https://bookdna.com/best-books/for-ages-8-to-12-about-september-11th
https://www.pragmaticmom.com/2020/09/neverforget-books-for-kids/
https://www.colorincolorado.org/booklist/remembering-911-books-kids-and-teens
Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia https://pentagonmemorial.org/
9-11 Memorial in New York City https://www.911memorial.org/
About Jacqueline Jules
Jacqueline Jules is the author of over fifty books for young readers including the Zapato Power series, the Sofia Martinez series, My Name is Hamburger, Duck for Turkey Day, Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation, Tag Your Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistence, and Smoke at the Pentagon: Poems to Remember. Her books have been recognized by National Council for the Social Studies, Bank Street College, Reading Rockets, Junior Library Guild, PJ Library, state awards, and others. Visit www.jacquelinejules.com to learn more.
Learn More about Jacqueline Jules
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