🔗 Content Connection: Climate Change. Explore the science and politics of climate change.

🔗 Content Connection: Microbes & Disease. Learn about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, and the vaccine development process.

📖 Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J Harvey by Maira Kalman. This sweet little story tells about a NYC fireboat that was first deployed in 1931, then called back into action during the 9/11 attacks. This is a good, inspiring read, gentle enough for young children. – Preschool • Elementary

📖 America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown. ​ This book does a good job of presenting the tragedy of 9/11 at a level appropriate for older elementary aged children. Brown doesn't dwell on the motives of the hijackers, opting to focus on the civilians, policemen, and firefighters who were on the scene at the World Trade Center. The narrative includes stories of survival and heroism, but there is plenty of loss, and this book will be too disturbing for some. – Elementary • Middle

📖 Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown. ​"The riveting tale of this historic storm and the drowning of an American city is one of selflessness, heroism, and courage—and also of incompetence, racism, and criminality. Don Brown’s kinetic art and as-it-happens narrative capture both the tragedy and triumph of one of the worst natural disasters in American history." Drowned City has received many awards; the disturbing subject matter makes this book most appropriate for upper middle and high school. – Middle • High

📖 A Storm Called Katrina by Myron Uhlberg. ​ This fictionalized account follows 10-year-old Louis and his family through Hurricane Katrina and its immediate aftermath. There are a few upsetting elements, but overall this book is appropriate for the intended audience. – Elementary

📖 Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes. "Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future." – Middle

📖 Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods. "A boy, a dog, and New Orleans' most famous hurricane." – Middle

📖 Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie Lamana.
"[W]hen Hurricane Katrina hits the Lower Nines of New Orleans and tears her world apart, Armani realizes that being ten means being brave, watching loved ones die, and mustering all her strength to help her family weather the storm." – Middle

📺 The Storm from PBS. This Frontline episode, released 3 months after the tragedy, gives a devastating account of Hurricane Katrina and the massive failure, at all levels of government, to adequately respond to the crisis. Includes graphic images and language; best for older students. – Middle • High

🔗 Content Connection: Meteorology. Learn about the science of hurricanes.

📺 Inside Job. "The Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary, Inside Job, directed by Charles Ferguson shows that the 2008 global financial Armageddon was no accident. It was predicted and could have been prevented." Narrated by Matt Damon. See the Parental Guide. – Middle • High