Posts Tagged immigration

Aliya Stories

December 16, 2010 at 12:44 pm · Filed under picture books (ages 4-6), picture books for older kids (7-10) ·Tagged , ,

So, the other day’s post about great immigration stories led me to think about some of my favorite stories about immigrating to Israel instead of America. There aren’t as many of them, but they are great.

First RainFirst Rain by Charlotte Herman is lovely. Abby and her parents have decided to move to Israel from North America, and they are really happy with their decision, it’s hard to leave behind Abby’s grandmother. First Rain tells the story of the correspondence between grandmother and grandchild as Abby learns more and more about her new home. What’s nice is that in addition to learning more, Abby teaches her grandmother all about Israel, including some Hebrew words. One of the things that Abby learns about Israel is how everyone waits for the first rain of the year after the long hot summer, much like she used to wait for the first snow. Guess who arrives for a visit on the same day that Abby hears the sounds of rain on the roof? I’ll admit, there’s something sad about this book — the grandmother sure does look unhappy to see Abby and her folks move away. But, it’s a lovely intergenerational story, and very applicable to many long distance grandparents, even if their grandchildren don’t live in Israel. (Great for 5-7 year olds.)

Yuvi's Candy TreeYuvi’s Candy Tree by Lesley Simpson is a fantastic new book. But it won’t be out until March 2011 (sorry!). The story of Yuvi’s trip from Ethiopia to Israel is captured in beautifully poetic language and simple artwork. The story is a little scary (appropriately), but does a great job of conveying the long, hard trip to Israel for many Ethiopian Jews. You can always pre-order… (I think it’ll work best for 7-10 year olds.)

Finally, All the Lights in the Night by Arthur Levine is a more typical “escape from Russia” story, except for instead of escaping to America, the two brothers are heading to Palestine. Israel doesn’t play heavily in the story, but it’s a nice Hanukkah story, and includes a slightly different destination than we usually see in these books. (Good for 8 & 9  year olds.)

Leave a Comment

Immigration Stories

December 13, 2010 at 9:25 pm · Filed under illustrated books for children ages 10+, picture books (ages 4-6), picture books for older kids (7-10) ·Tagged , , , ,

OK, let’s not talk about  how long it’s been. The point is, I’m writing again, right?

So, I’m inspired by my 2nd grader who is studying immigration, but probably more so by his wonderful teacher and the creative ways she is introducing this topic to her class. As I looked at her book box of immigration stories for the kids, I was surprised by how few Jewish titles she had. Now, some were in the hands of happy children, but it did make me think, what are the best Jewish immigration picture books? So, here’s the list:

Best for the Ellis Island experience:

The Memory CoatThe Memory Coat by Elvira Woodruff is probably my favorite for the Ellis Island experience. Rachel and her cousin Grisha have made it to Ellis Island, along with Rachel’s family. While horsing around (see, kids in the olden days did that too!), Rachel knocks into Grisha and causes his eye to get scratched. Wouldn’t be so bad were it not for the fact that a damaged eye earns Grisha the scary white chalk mark on his coat, the sign that he won’t be admitted to the United States and will have to go back home. Luckily, Rachel is a plucky heroine who saves the day with some quick thinking. Great for 7-9 year olds.

Best for younger kids:

Mendel's AccordionI’m sure I’ve written about Mendel’s Accordion by Heidi Smith Hyde elsewhere. Beautifully illustrated, it tells the story of Mendel from Melnitze who is a Klezmer player. When things get bad, Mendel leaves Melnitze with old his accordion. Everywhere he goes, Mendel makes friends and makes music. Mendel eventually has children in New York, and it’s his grandson Sam who finds his accordion one day and learns to play again. A simple (no Cossacks!) immigration story, with a lovely intergenerational feel, not to mention the accordion! For fans of Mendel’s Accordion, there is now Feivel’s Flying Horses by the same author and illustrator team. This time taking place at Coney Island, it’s a lovely quiet choice, though some will see sadness in the fact that Feivel has to go to America without his wife and children. Luckily, at the end of the story they are reunited! (Mendel’s Accordion is great for 4-6 year olds; Feivel is better for 6 & 7s.)

Best for older readers:

When Jessie Came Across the SeaWhen Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest is beautiful and really quite perfect. Jessie is chosen to come to America by the rabbi of her small village. Sadly, it means leaving her beloved grandmother. Luckily, in addition to settling in with her extended family and proving herself to be a great lace maker, she falls in love with Lou. She waits until finally she has enough money to send for her grandmother, before agreeing to marry Lou. Sigh. (great for 7-9 year olds)

Best Link to the Statue of Liberty:

Naming LibertyOK, this is a made up category, clearly. But I did want to talk about Naming Liberty by Jane Yolen. This book parallels the story of French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi’s creation of the Statue of Liberty, with the story of a Jewish family immigrating to America. The story goes back and forth between the two “stories,” finally coming together nicely at exactly the point when you’d expect them to come together. Throughout the story of the family though, Gitl, the young girl, is concern about finding the right American name. What does she decide on? Liberty! (But you can call her Libby.)  (Good for older readers 8-10 years old.)

Next post will be dedicated to all the great immigration stories I forgot to mention…

Leave a Comment

Mendel’s Accordion by Heidi Smith Hyde

September 21, 2008 at 2:32 pm · Filed under picture books (ages 4-6) ·Tagged , , , ,

I feel badly that I didn’t get a book in before the weekend so I wanted to choose a really good book today to make up for it. After this past Shabbat, Mendel’s Accordion is my natural choice.

This book fits my requirements for a great book for a number of reasons:

First, it’s beautiful. The illustrations are light and delicate and there’s lots to see on every page.

Mendel's Accordion

Mendel's Accordion

Second, it’s a lovely story. The narrative centers around a man named Mendel who loves to play his accordion in a place called Melnitze (which is ironically less than 50 miles from the place where my grandparents all hailed from). When things start getting really tough in the village (and this is left deliberately vague — no pogroms or soldiers are mentioned or seen), he decides to come to America. He makes the long journey with others and comes to New York eventually. At every turn in the story, he finds people to play with accordion alongside. The book ends with his great-grandson finding his accordion and deciding to learn to play as well. I think it does a great job of capturing all these familiar tropes (the coming to America, the making it in America, the new generations) in an accessible way for young readers.

And third of all, there’s something that’s just plain fun about it. My 5 year old and I love talking about the different characters from the Old Country — Shmelke is our favorite and has become a frequent special imaginary guest at our Shabbat table (like this past Shabbat when Shmelke actually brought Mendel with him). We’ve been reading this book for probably 1.5 years and he still loves saying “Shmelke.” We’ve also spent a long time talking about the instruments that all the players play (if I were a better mom/educator, I would have also introduced him to the sounds of Klezmer music so he can have that association). 

Basically, it’s just a really nice read. And at each age, he’s finding more and more to like in the story. Maybe next year, we can use the book as a jumping off point to discuss how people came to America or to talk about his grandparents. And maybe I’ll pick up a Klezmer CD and he’ll be able to put together the scenes of the Klezmer band with the actual music. There’s lots of time for this book — I know we’ll keep reading it and re-reading it, which is one of the best things I can say about a book.

Leave a Comment