Elsbury’s children’s book introduces September 11 through remembrance and kindness

James Elsbury’s children’s book, A Day We Remember in September, offers families a way to discuss the September 11 attacks through remembrance and kindness, according to his official website. UK Publishing House confirms publication of the book, which the author’s site describes as encouraging children to remember those killed and learn about people who helped.

In Gainesville, Texas, the Fire-Rescue department’s September 11 memorial includes steel recovered from the World Trade Center, according to the department. Its announcement scheduled a 25th-anniversary remembrance ceremony at Fire Station 3 for September 11, 2026, paired with a Carter BloodCare blood drive.

The department’s announcement also described Gainesville’s response after the 2001 attacks. Department spokesperson Tamara Sieger said in the announcement that the community’s blood drive following the attacks was its largest up to that time.

Texas public schools have a remembrance obligation under a law established in 2013. Education Code Section 25.0821 requires public elementary and secondary schools to observe a minute of silence when September 11 falls on a regular school day. Under that provision, a teacher must precede the silence with a statement remembering those who died.

For adults explaining the attacks to children, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum recommends basic facts expressed in language appropriate to a child’s age. Its guidance on discussing terrorism advises using individual accounts of people affected by the attacks and examples of compassion. The museum also cautions against assigning blame to entire groups.

According to Elsbury’s website, he dedicated the book to his son Oscar and credits him with providing the inspiration and motivation to write it.

The museum’s education work addresses an audience without personal memories of September 11. In a September 2026 announcement, the museum estimated that about 100 million Americans were born after the attacks or were too young to remember them.

Books for children began addressing rescue and service soon after the attacks. Penguin Random House dates the hardcover publication of Maira Kalman’s Fireboat to 2002 and describes its account of the retired John J. Harvey fireboat helping at Ground Zero.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum uses Fireboat in its own teaching materials. Its lesson for kindergarten through second grade asks students to examine how people helped one another during the attacks. The museum’s broader lesson collection extends through grade 12.