Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story
Leslea Newman and Amy June Bates
Gittel and her mother were supposed to immigrate to America together, but when her mother is stopped by the health inspector, Gittel must make the journey alone. Her mother writes her cousin's address in New York on a piece of paper. However, when Gittel arrives at Ellis Island, she discovers the ink has run and the address is illegible! How will she find her family? Both a heart-wrenching and heartwarming story, Gittel's Journey offers a fresh perspective on the immigration journey to Ellis Island. The book includes an author's note explaining how Gittel's story is based on the journey to America taken by Leslea Newman's grandmother and family friend. "Mixed-media images by Bates (The Big Umbrella), washed in yellows and browns and framed by woodblock motifs, give readers a vivid sense of the historical context while infusing the story with a timeless emotional immediacy. Newman (Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed) skillfully modulates her narration, capturing her protagonist's feelings of excitement, loneliness, and fear. The ending, handled with both restraint and warmth, relies on one of those improbable twists of good fortune that define so many immigrant stories - and it's based on a real event.", Publishers Weekly
Lesléa Newman is the author of more than 60 books for adults and children, including Abrams' Here is the World, The Eight Nights of Chanukah and A Sweet Passover, which was given the Sydney Taylor Notable Book Award. She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Parent's Choice Silver Medal. She lives in Holyoke, MA. Additional information about Ms. Newman and her work may be found at www.lesleakids.com. Amy Bates is the illustrator of Abrams' Bear in the Air, Minette's Feast, and The Dog Who Belonged to No One. She lives in Pennsylvania.
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