Amanda Davis, author of 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag (Worthy Kids), talks about the importance of community and of sharing with other people when navigating grief.
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About the book: 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag by Amanda Davis; Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. Published by Worthy Kids.
Discover the inspiring story of the American flag that flew over Ground Zero, traveled across all fifty states as it was repaired, and returned to New York as a restored symbol of unity.
In the days following September 11th, a 30-foot American flag hung torn and tattered at 90 West Street, across from Ground Zero. A few weeks later, the flag was taken down by a construction crew and tucked away in storage, where it stayed for nearly seven years.
The flag was brought out of storage in 2008 when the New York Says Thank You Foundation headed to Greensburg, Kansas, a town nearly destroyed by a tornado. NYSTY brought the flag with them, sparking a grassroots restoration effort that traveled over 120,000 miles across all fifty states, bringing together thousands of people, and helping America heal and rebuild . . . hand by hand, thread by thread, one stitch at a time.
This book is the story of that journey, a journey that ended at the opening of the National September 11 Museum, where the flag remains today. Along the way, the flag was restored using pieces of retired flags from every state--including a piece of the flag that Abraham Lincoln was laid on after he was shot at Ford's Theater and threads from the original Star-Spangled Banner flag, which flew at Fort McHenry in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. The pieces and threads were stitched in by military veterans, first responders, educators, students, community-service heroes, and family members of 9/11 victims, among others. At each stop, communities came together to remember, to heal, and to unite.
*NOTE: This transcript was AI-generated and may contain errors. I have done my best to clean up as much as I can. This process will improve naturally and with time. Thank you for understanding.
INTRO
Matthew: Welcome back to the Children’s Book Podcast, where we dive deep into the world of creativity, storytelling, and the magic behind the art of creating books for children.
I’m your host, Matthew Winner. Teacher. Librarian. Writer. Fan of kids.
Today’s episode brings us an important and powerful story, one that helps introduce a pivotal moment in history to young readers while teaching them the values of unity, resilience, and hope. We’re honored to be joined by Amanda Davis, author of 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag. This beautiful picture book tells the true story of how a flag tattered from the events of September 11th was restored and became a symbol of healing for a nation.
In our conversation, we’ll explore the importance of sharing this story with children, not only as a means of remembering history, but also as a way to unite against hate and show the power of coming together as a community. Amanda’s work serves as a meaningful tool for helping children understand complex themes of tragedy, recovery, and the shared responsibility we all have in making the world a better place.
So, without further ado, let’s welcome Amanda Davis to the show!
INTERVIEW
Amanda: Hi, my name is Amanda Davis. She/her.
I am an author, an artist, and an educator. I am the author of 30, 000 Stitches, the Inspiring Story of the National 9 11 Flag, and also the newly released Moonlight Memories, um, written by me, illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan. And 30, 000 Stitches is illustrated by Sally Wern Komport.
Matthew: Congratulations on new books, by the way. That's got to always be a fun, fun thing. So, Amanda, what is the National 9 11 flag?
Amanda: Yes, great question, Matthew. So, the National 9 11 flag was an American flag that was put up over Ground Zero days after 9 11. It became very torn and very tattered, so it was taken down and stored away.
Until several years later, uh, it emerged and it went on this historic journey across all 50 states to be restored. And it touched many hearts, many hands along the way, stitching it back together. And then 10 years later, uh, on the 10th remembrance of 9 11, it returned to New York. Uh, and is really a symbol of unity and hope now.
Matthew: Returned to New York, stayed in New York,
Amanda: New York. Yep. New York state in New York,
Matthew: but it's stayed. Not stayed, stayed, remained, remained. There's the word
Amanda: remains
Matthew: in New York. It
Amanda: remains in New York. Um, is it at the
Matthew: Memorial? Yes,
Amanda: it, it originally went up at the September 11th Memorial and Museum, and now it's on rotation because as with many of the artifacts in the museum, especially the bigger ones like the flag, they need to come down and be taken care of and maintained.
So, um, I was told that I think this is still where it is right now, but it's in an airplane hangar because that's where they keep a lot of the larger artifacts. I think some of them are in like Long Island, New Jersey, um, and that's where they kind of keep them too. Restore them and just make sure they remain maintained so they can go back up into the museum in good condition.
Matthew: That makes sense. And, and being just outside of DC, we are always seeing signs and notes that, you know, like the National Smithsonian, the Natural History Museum has, pick a number, 10, 000 artifacts on display, but they own like 300, 000 or something. So it makes sense that, that stuff would go up and come down.
Amanda, I wonder what moment or idea or event inspired you to write 30, 000 stitches, whether it was, I don't know that you took place in the tour. If you, I don't, I wonder, I just wonder where, where that all got started. Um, your book ended up being, I think we, I might've even said this when I first met you at SCBWI, but I wasn't aware of the flag until you told me about it.
So I wonder just what brought you into writing this book.
Amanda: Yes, I, so I, uh, taught high school art for 11 years and I was alive during September 11th. I was actually in high school. So it was something that I lived through. So I had my own lived experience here in Massachusetts. Um, and so I always felt really connected to it.
Um, it was something that really, you know, really affected me. Um, and as I became a teacher, I made sure that I was always teaching about the events. And on, as the 10th remembrance was approaching of 9 11, I was looking for a lesson that I could do with students. And I wanted to be able to teach about the events of that day, but also focus on hope and the light.
Uh, that came, came after. So I, I was flipping through, I believe it was an art magazine, and I saw this story of the flag, and how it was taken across all 50 states and restored back to whole again. And I thought it was amazing just how many hands went into it, how it was all about community, about unity, coming together after disaster and tragedy to overcome.
Um, so I thought it was perfect because we could learn about the events of that day, but also learn about this, this story that, um, you know, was a great metaphor for how to overcome hard things in life. So I brought that to the classroom. We learned all about it. And then being in the art room, we created our own remembrance flag, which was, um, we talked about what does it mean to be an American to you?
What are our identities? What make us unique? Then we all got these little squares, similar to how the National 9 11 flag was patched back together with like, square pieces of American flag. We got our own pieces, put that together, and we talked about this idea of unity and coming together to overcome difficult things and kind of the strength in community.
So it was a really meaningful lesson. The students, um, the students, it was, they were really touched by it. I was really touched by it. And then, um, I think it was a couple years later, I got to actually visit the September 11th Memorial Museum. The museum wasn't fully finished at that time, um, but I got to see more artifacts, read more stories, and the story of the flag came back to me, and at that time, I had started writing and illustrating for children, and, um, I said, you know what, this needs to be told, um, maybe to, you know, a wider audience of children.
And that's when I decided to try my hand at writing a children's book about it. I also had a background in journalism, um, in English communications. So I loved that I got to speak to the real people that were involved in the flag. Um, a lot of them were part of the, um, um, museum and part of the tour, volunteers.
So it was just, it was really amazing. Firefighters.
Matthew: I'm remembering you now that you bring it up. I'm remembering you telling me about being a high school art teacher. I'm remembering that connection. It's, I'm so glad you brought that back up. I, I love, it sounds like from the outset, you, you really saw that connection that the, that the flag was almost a metaphor for the people.
Um, I think that I wrote that you've woven that the strength affirming lines into the book. And I just found that really beautiful. Was that, as you started to write, was that sort of your driving, your, your driving voice of the book? It really. Hey, Bark! Um, it's a really It's a really wonderful connection.
And I know sometimes connections are there at the start or they're discovered during writing. Um, I wonder about that, the presence of that connection for you.
Amanda: Yeah. So, I mean, in my art, in my art teaching, I love metaphors. I love symbolism. So that was always evident to me with this story was this idea that as the flag healed, the people did too, or, you know, it became whole again in the people.
to some extent, you know, people, people today are still healing. Um, but that metaphor and that symbolism was always, was always there for me. And I feel like that's what drew me to the story even more. So yeah, trying to figure out a way to communicate that through story form, through words, and also the pictures, uh, that was Sally's doing, uh, was a challenge.
And I decided perhaps because I love poetry, A refrain could be a way to do that, um, because it's something that you can literally weave through the entire story. And I know one of your questions was, was that something that was always there? So partially, I would say, um, you know, I played around with, I think I had a couple different.
So the refrain in the book is the fabric of America. And for me, my intention was for that to have two meanings, the people and also the literal fabric. Um, so, uh, I did have a couple of phrases in my first draft. I remember. the fabric of America remained, which is one of the first refrains in the story.
And then I brought the same one back at the end. But then I realized it needed something else in between, like how, what, what else can I do to strengthen this refrain and to really have it emphasize this idea of transformation and this healing journey? Um, so that's when, um, I decided to add more words into the refrain.
So I have remained, I have waited. We merge, strong, heals, unites, and endures is the last one. The fabric of America endures. And to me, yeah, those, those words really helped show the transformation and show the healing, which isn't always linear either. Um, And so I, I tried to be very, um, purposeful
Matthew: with those words.
I think that the intention is, is visible. I think that, um, I think that they walk. It feels to me, this could be just my reflection as a reader, that it feels to me like it walks through a grieving process to, to, to emerge with the, the word endure. Um, after talking about fabric being stitched together, you know, those scars are there, but we can see where we're healing.
Um, it's just a really, again, it was a really strong metaphor, really beautiful poetry. I thought it worked really well. I wonder, Amanda, as you were reflecting on this, Uh, for those, uh, kids listening, I wanted to ask you if everyone endures tragedy or loss in their lives. Is that something we all go through?
I assume the answer is yes, but I'm asking you, I'm asking you on behalf. Um, and then I'd love to ask you, what are ways that we can heal ourselves and that we can help others in their journey of healing?
Amanda: Hmm. I do think that everyone goes through loss, um, in particular, you know, whether that's perhaps our first encounter with that is a pet, right?
Um, oftentimes it is, especially for children. We, we lose our beloved pets. Um, so, and you can grieve a lot of different things. I don't feel like the thing has to be living. We were just talking about moving homes. I think you can grieve a house, a community. I think there's so many things that we can grieve, um, or lose.
So, um, I think that's an important thing to, to think about as we think about our own lives. And for anyone that is experiencing any of those, um, big emotions or difficult things in their lives. I think it's very important as the story of 30, 000 Stitches also shows that you need a community and you need people to support you and to help you.
So if anyone out there listening, is going through their own tough time or experiencing big emotions, I would encourage them to tell their story and reach out to people because there's people that care and there's people that want to help. Um, and I think really the only way to get through difficult times is together.
I really, really believe that. And, um, it's so much harder when you try to do it alone. And, um, It is, it is possible to, to, to get, to get through it, or at least heal, um, so, you know, reaching out and looking for those bright spots too, because, you know, difficult things can be hard, and it can make it feel really heavy, um, Um, so remembering to still, even during those times, try to look for the positive, um, find those things that you're still grateful for, uh, whether it's people in your lives or nature or something even really small, looking for those glimmers of, of hope and light within your life, even during those hard times.
Matthew: Yeah, absolutely. Um, absolutely. That was beautifully said. Um. Would you mind sharing an excerpt of 30, 000 Stitches with us? It could be, again, whatever you would read aloud at a school visit or the beginning of the book or a particular turn of phrase you're really proud of. Truly, there's no limit.
Whatever you'd like to share, I'd love for you to read something to us.
Amanda: Okay. I mean, there's one line that I really like. It's, it's a bit short, but. I'll go with that. So, um, it's when they're repairing the flag for the first time, and it says, hand by hand, thread by thread, one stitch at a time, the flag was reborn.
The fabric of America is strong. And I really love the line, hand by hand, thread by thread, one stitch at a time, because I feel like it highlights what I was just saying, that oftentimes it takes many hands to get through something difficult. And it takes time and it takes patience. So thread by thread, one stitch at a time is not going to make something whole overnight, right?
Um, it's going to take many stitches, 30, 000 stitches to become whole again. So I feel like that, that line to me really reminds me that if you're going through something difficult, again, reach out for help and also have patience with yourself because it is going to take time. And you might sometimes feel like you're going backwards, perhaps, like you haven't made any progress.
Um, but you, you, you aren't, you're, you're moving forward. And one of the spreads that I love in the book, I know that your viewers can't necessarily see this, but if they pick up the book, um, it's one of the spreads towards the end with the art. Um, and it, it shows a lot of different types of people walking forward together with the flag in their hands.
And it also shows inside the flag, different places that it visited on its journey to heal. And I just love this page too, because I feel like, again, it highlights this idea of, Strength in togetherness, in community, moving forward together, um, and healing together. And then with the images inside the flag, it really shows the flag's journey, which started in New York and also ended in New York.
So you see the Twin Towers on one end, and then the Statue of Liberty on the other end. So like I was saying you might feel like sometimes you're back right in the same place you were before But that doesn't mean you haven't made progress either in your journey. So I love this I just love this image because I just feel like it illustrates this idea of moving forward together and how our journey can sometimes be cyclical too, this healing journey.
Um, yeah,
Matthew: yeah. Sally did really exceptional work on this book.
I wanted to compliment you as a writer because that phrase slows us down and I really like when writers can control how we're reading the book, uh, in this case to really let us go to granular, go to stitch by stitch. I'm reminded also of a phrase I turn to all the time because it is calming and comforting to me.
Um, that line, how do you eat an elephant one bite at a time is just. I even find saying it to you. I can't even say the phrase fast. I can't even say, how do you mean elephant one bite at a time? I have to slow myself down to even say it. And it's just those little reminders that you've given us in this book as well, to just, it's okay to go slow.
It's okay. It's okay. It's going. That's part of what, what healing is. Healing is, is going slow. And sometimes you don't even realize. I mean, it's such a great metaphor, sewing, that you don't even realize how much you've sewn until you look back and you're like, Oh my word, I'm like done with this whole, uh, side of whatever.
Yeah. Um, it's, it's, it's, yeah, it's just a wonderful, it's a wonderful thing. You wrote such a beautiful book. It's so good. Thank you. Okay. Well, on that note, let's, let's wrap up our time the way that we do. Um, and I'll, I'll ask you that I'll see a library full of children soon. Um, is there a message I can bring to them from you?
Amanda: Yes, I have a lot of messages, so this is hard to boil it down, but I think the biggest one, and this again is also highlighted in the book, is just tell our stories, share our stories with each other, and again, reaching out for support, um, finding our communities, like what I was saying, and I think by sharing our stories too, um, I used to say this as an art teacher because I would find that this would happen through our art, we were able to share our stories, but it would help us learn about ourselves about other people and about the world around us and in turn that helped us feel more connected and gave us more understanding of one another. So all of you out there have important stories to share. You have something to share and do that. Share your stories. It's powerful. It's a really, really powerful thing.
And if you don't feel comfortable talking about it, then draw about it, write about it, but get it out there in some way. Um, and I, I bet you will feel more connected in the end. feel a sense of sort of, yeah, connection and in relief too sometimes once you do, once you do share it.
OUTRO
Matthew: Thank you to Amanda Davis for joining me on The Children’s Book Podcast.
You can pick up your own copy of 30,000 Stitches: The Inspiring Story of the National 9/11 Flag (Worthy Kids) wherever books are found. Consider supporting independent bookstores by shopping through Bookshop.org. You can also use my affiliate link by clicking on the book’s name in our show notes. I highly recommend checking out the audiobook of The Sherlock Society or, really, any of James’ books! They are available through Libro.fm and you can support independent bookstores in the process!
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And on that note…
Be well. And read on.
End Of Episode
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