January/February 2006

Dear Fellow Book Lovers:

ELLIS ISLAND , AND THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE

Most children and young adults understand the significance of the first day of January. Some may even practice special New Year’s Day traditions with friends and family. But there are other reasons to celebrate this day. It marks an important event in America ’s history–the opening of Ellis Island on January 1, 1892.

History textbooks devote little, if any, space to Ellis Island and the immigrant experience. Yet, America is a nation of immigrants. School curriculum and public and school library programs shouldn’t be driven by textbooks. There is no better way to understand the hopes, the dreams, and the disappointments of those who immigrated to America than through historical fiction. Devote time in January to introduce young readers to fiction and nonfiction about the immigrant experience.

Random House offers the following excellent titles:

The Prairie Train by Antoine O. Flatharta and Illustrated by Eric Rohmann (Ages 4-8)

Maggie’s Door by Patricia Reilly Giff (Ages 8-12)

Nory Ryan’s Song by Patricia Reilly Giff (Ages 8-12)

A House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff (Ages 9-12)

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli (Ages 10 up)

The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli (Ages 8-12)

Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch (Ages 12 up)

Land of Hope by Joan Lowery Nixon (Ages 8-10)

Song of Sampo Lake by William Durbin (Ages 10 up)

Consider some of the following programming ideas:

•  Take young patrons on a virtual field trip of Ellis Island ( www.ellisisland.org )

Tell them that Ellis Island closed on November 12, 1954 , and became a national park in 1956.   It reopened in 1990 as a museum.   Why is it important to all Americans that Ellis Island be preserved and maintained as a museum?

•  Allow young readers to hear the voices & stories of 1 st generation immigrants by visiting the website of the history channel ( www.historychannel.com/ellisisland/index2.html )

•  Ask older readers to read a book about a more contemporary immigrant experience, and compare and contrast this experience to the experience of the 19 th century immigrants.   Fresh Girl by Jaira Placide (ages 12-up) is an excellent reading choice.

•  Young readers may enjoy finding out about their own ancestry. What is their family’s country or countries of origin?   Tell them that Patricia Reilly Giff based her immigrant stories on her own family history.   Encourage readers to ask the oldest member of their family to relate a special story about their family.   Write and illustrate the story as a picture book.

•  Find out how many new immigrants live in your city or community.   Invite a new immigrant to talk with young patrons about the difficulties of coming to a new land.  

•  Ask readers to find out what community agencies serve the needs of new immigrants.   How can the public library help immigrants?    

•  Have readers locate biographies about famous 1 st generation immigrants.   After sharing the books, the group may want to class the immigrants by careers.   For example:   Scientists, Artists, Musicians, Writers, Entrepreneurs, etc.   What contributions have immigrants made to American society?

You may email me at pscales@scgsah.state.sc.us.