A month after the attacks on 9/11, a discovery was made at Ground Zero: a tree had endured the destruction. Dubbed the Survivor Tree, its roots were snapped and burned and its branches broken. But in the thoughtful care of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the surviving Callery pear was nursed back to health.

This is the story of that tree-its journey out from underneath the rubble, its recovery in the Bronx, and its eventual return home to the 9/11 Memorial-and of a nation in recovery.

Honoring the legacy of the World Trade Center, the bravery of first responders, and the resilience of the city of New York, This Very Tree is a gorgeous, heartrending picture book whose triumphant story of survival speaks to America’s past while looking toward its future.