School Library Journal Reviews
July 1, 2007
THE BOOK REVIEW; Grades 5-up; Pg. 108
At Ellis Island: A History in Many Voices
by Luann Toth
PEACOCK, Louise. At Ellis Island: A History in Many Voices . illus.
by Walter Lyon Krudop. 44p. reprods. further reading. Web sites. CIP.
S & S/Atheneum . 2007. RTE $18.99. ISBN 978-0-689-83026-6 . LC
00-054281.
Gr 4-6- A picture book that is stronger in concept than in execution.
In a format similar to her Crossing the Delaware (S & S, 1998),
Peacock describes the immigration experience to children. The first
fictional narrative presented (in red type) is that of a modern child
visiting Ellis Island, intertwining facts she has gathered about her
family at the museum. The second narrative thread is delivered
through letters written in cursive handwriting. They are from a
fictional Armenian girl, Sera, who in 1910 makes the long journey to
join her father in New York. She describes to her mother back home
the Statue of Liberty, being in the Baggage Hall among swarms of
people speaking different languages, and the pervasive feelings of
uncertainty and fear. The third element is the inclusion of numerous
quotes from actual immigrants, an interpreter, a surgeon, and other
officials. Overall, the story is a powerful one, but the whole is
more likely to confuse than to inform young readers. The book’s
approach is sketchily explained in the author’s note and not
sufficiently introduced in the main text, which is divided into
separate boxes, each of which appears in a different color and font.
Krudop’s gouache paintings are evocative and expressive, and archival
photographs are sprinkled throughout. There may be some use for this
offering in a classroom with some guided reading, but youngsters who
come to it on their own will most likely feel lost.-Luann Toth,
School Library Journal