Immigrants

Children's Literature - Gisela Jernigan

This large format, nonfiction book consists of a fascinating array of photographs, paintings, drawings and charts, in color and black and white, from the Library of Congress' collection of visuals dealing with immigrants to the United States. Short chapters address many aspects of the immigrant experience, including Ellis Island, city streets, pioneers and immigrants today. While most of the information is conveyed through the wonderful illustrations, the brief text, which is enriched by many short quotes from real immigrants, does a good job of organizing and clarifying the visuals. An index and note about the Library of Congress are included. This book should prove useful and entertaining to a wide range of readers.

Children's Literature - Susie Wilde

Sandler, twice nominated for Pulitzer Prize, has written nineteen books and produced five Emmy winning television shows. He brings the lessons he learned in television into his children's books. Knowing that he's dealing with the most visually literate group of youngsters the world has ever known, he excites them with books that are visually attractive. Sandler pulls poignant photographs and stories from the Library of Congress collection to reveal the period of America's growth in terms of those who risked the dangerous oceans and unknown shores to attain freedom and opportunity. Immigrants shows people who are willing to sacrifice everything to make their dreams come true.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8Through archival black-and-white photographs and full-color lithographs, paintings, posters, drawings, and other illustrative material, these books offer indelible glimpses of their subjects. Immigrants concentrates on the millions of newcomers who came to America between 1870-1920. Images of the journey itself, the ordeal of Ellis Island, life in the cities and in rural communities, and children at play and in school have been selected to capture this complex experience. Brief first-person commentaries by immigrants are highlighted on many pages. Sandler's text is written in the present tense, which gives the photos the effect of being part of a newsreel and provides a ``you are there'' impression. This title would be a great companion to Russell Freedman's Immigrant Kids (Dutton, 1980). Presidents sparkles with vignettes that reveal the uniqueness of the men to hold the office, as political figures and as private citizens. Pictures of them at leisure, campaigning, and with their families and pets offer a fascinating record of this ``profoundly human institution.'' Brief facts, such as the first president to ride in an automobile (Teddy Roosevelt) and the only one to have a patent issued in his name (Abraham Lincoln), make this book as entertaining as it is informative. Some of the photos are not captioned, and their subjects are not identified in the text. Nonetheless, both of these series entries combine excellent-quality visuals with intriguing sketches, reminiscences, and anecdotes to make history come alive.Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA

Janice Del Negro

Focusing on the period 18701920, this new entry in the Library of Congress Book series is a collection of photographs and illustrations of the immigration experience loosely tied together by a general text. Quotes from immigrants from different countries and photos of the Statue of Liberty (in pieces), Ellis Island, and the urban centers where many of the immigrants began life in America combine to give an idea of what life was like. Sandler also includes brief discussions of slavery and of immigration patterns today. The conclusion emphasizes cultural diversity as our greatest strength. The format, with a multitude of illustrations, is nicely designed for browsing, and there's enough infomation to make the book a good lead-in to more in-depth materials on the subject.