Book Reviews

Author: Rene Colato Lainez
From North to South is a story of a young boy that misses his mother. Originally from Mexico, Jose’s mother was deported to Tijuana for not having the proper documents to remain in the United States. In this short children’s book, Jose and his father travel to Mexico to visit his mother. Although his mother is not able to return to the US until she has the proper documents, they manage to have a pleasant visit to Mexico and pray for her return to the states. This heartbreaking story reflects the real life situation of families being separated because of immigration issues. The text is written in Spanish and English.

Year Released: 2010
Grades K-3

Author: Henry Cejudo with Bill Plaschke
This is the moving life story of Henry Cejudo, the son of a Mexican immigrant growing up in poverty. Growing up in the slums of California and New Mexico, Henry and his family lived day by day, not knowing if they would have food or a roof over their head the next. Growing up Henry stood behind the shadow of his older brother as they wrestled on the streets and in school. Finally Henry had his breakthrough when a local wrestling coach believed in his ability to be one of the best wrestlers in the state. With so much talent Henry was eventually asked to accompany his brother to train at the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team training facility in Colorado. From there the rest is history. Henry went on to win the gold medal for freestyle wrestling in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This is truly an inspiring story of a poor young boy living the dream and fighting to the top.

Year Released: 2010
Grades 9-Adult

Author: Liz Lofthouse
“Ziba came on a boat. A soggy old fishing boat that creaked and moaned as it rose and fell, rose and fell, across an endless sea…” As you turn the pages, the setting changes from the boat to villages in a hilly area. Ziba’s memories flash back and she recalls her life in the village with other family members and friends before escaping war-torn Afghanistan. Ziba shivers as she huddles close to her mother. The language is descriptive as the author describes the tastes and aromas of spices and goat’s milk yoghurt. Ziba Came on a Boat is the story of a little girl whose family lost almost everything and her brave journey to make a new life far from home. The author was inspired after hearing stories from the Hazara community- refugees from Afghanistan who now live in Perth, Australia. This lyrical story will work well in both primary and middle school classrooms. For teachers who enjoy reading aloud, the rhythm and repetition of words is both poetic and appealing.

Year Released: 2007
Grades K-3

Author: Iris Gomez
Iris Gomez's newest novel was reviewed in the latest issue of O Magazine.  
"Poet and immigration lawyer Gomez (When Comets Rained) mines her own experiences in her enthralling fiction debut, the story of a family of Colombian immigrants adjusting to life in '70s-era Florida. Gabriela De la Paz has earned the nickname Auxiliadora ('the Helper') for all her efforts translating and interpreting American culture for her parents. The frustrated daughter of Roberto and Evangelina, Gabi must act far older than her teen years when her Papi, schizophrenic and untreated, can't keep a job and gets into trouble with the police because of his violent behavior. Evangelina must hide her sewing and cleaning jobs to avoid Roberto's wrath (he disapproves of women working) while Gabi's brothers, Manolo and Pablo, fear his physical abuse. Gomez charts Gabi's challenges as she gains confidence, educates herself, and finds inspiration from Lara, a 'modern' woman for whom she babysits, in this intense and sensitive tale with crossover YA appeal. (May)" (Publishers Weekly ) 

Year Released: 2010
Grades 6-Adult

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Iris-Gomezs-Try-to-Remember-Book-Review/print/1

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Author: Uri Shulevitz
This is an autobiographical story where Shulevitz describes his early childhood in Turkestan. When war forces his family to leave their home and seek safety in a distant land, they have no food or books and live in a single room with a dirt floor. His father decides to spend what little money they have on a map of the world instead of on food. Young Uri and his mother are initially furious; they have nothing to eat. But when the father hangs the map on the wall, “Our cheerless room was flooded with color.” Exotic place names inspire visions of mountains, cities, temples and deserts. Uri’s fantasies allow him to spend “enchanted hours far, far from hunger and misery” and forgive his father. Whimsical pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations show the places in his imagination coming to life as he flies over continents, picturing what they would be like. This beautiful book is ideal to spark any discussion about the power of imagination.

Year Released: 2008
Grades K-3

Author: Doreen Rapport Read more...

Author: Eve Bunting
A young boy named Robert tells this colorfully illustrated fictional story of watching his father and a thousand co-workers erect the Golden Gate Bridge over the San Francisco Bay during the 1930s. He refers to the project as “Pop’s Bridge” believing his father’s role as an ironworker is more significant than those of the other workers. Robert and his friend Charlie Shu, whose dad is a painter on the bridge, watch the bridge’s progress through binoculars from Fort Point. They also spend their time creating putting together a jigsaw puzzle of the Golden Gate. An accident happens on the bridge leaving Robert with a new appreciation for all of the construction workers, including Charlie’s dad. Author Eve Bunting emigrated from Ireland in 1959 and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge on her first day in America. While this story makes no reference to immigration, it does imply how people of varying ethnic backgrounds have worked together here this country to make great things happen, including building the impossible bridge. The generous illustrations vividly depict the Golden Gate while occasionally making caricatures of the characters. A good read for primary students.

Year Released: 2006
Grades 1-4

Authors: Keely Alexander and Velani Mynhardt Witthoft
Join Davy and his friends as they discover that even the most seemingly typical people have exciting immigration histories. Then, using the resources in this book, embark on your own voyage of discovery. What fascinating immigration stories will you unearth? How many flags adorn your family tree? The answers may surprise and delight you!

Year Released: 2009
Grades 3-5

Author: Elvira Woodruff
Darcy Heart O’Hara was a noticer. Living with her family in the townland of Pobble O’Keefe, Ireland in 1845, Darcy noticed the things that her busy, hardworking family missed. She saw the dew-covered spider web across her bucket’s rim and she often stopped gathering eggs to watch the cloud castles pass. Though she lacked pockets, Darcy would secret away “small beauties” such as pebbles, flowers, and butterfly wings in the hem of her dress. As the potato crops failed and the others in her family saw only the devastating effects of the poverty and loss that followed, Darcy continued to collect the small beauties of her landscape. After the landlord burns the family’s cottage and they are forced to accept the Crown’s passage to America, it is Darcy’s collection, pulled from the hem of her dress that brings the family the solace of memory of Ireland. Inspired by a story about Henry Ford retrieving his family’s hearthstone from Ireland and installing in his home in America, Elvira Woodruff’s fictional immigration story is one to which many of us can relate. Rich illustrations by Adam Rex that evoke the time period of the Great Famine, help make Small Beauties an excellent introduction to issues of immigration, memory, and family for very young readers.

Year Released: 2006
Grades K-3