Maxinne Rhea Leighton

In my opinion, “An Ellis Island Christmas” is a fantastic picture book that reveals a powerful message about an immigrant child’s journey to America. One of the best parts of this story is its plot. The story tells of a young Polish girl who has to leave everything she is familiar with (her home, her town, and most of her belongings) to go to America with her family for a better life. The story tells about the harsh adventure the family has to go through. The family has to tread through snow and travel on an awfully long ship ride. The plot is very suspenseful from the family’s departure in Poland to their arrival in America. For example, when the family finally arrives, the girl states, “Mama ran and pulled us to the deck. She pointed and said, ‘Look! Look! It’s the Lady. The Statue of Liberty. We’re in America. America!’ and there it was.” The writing is organized to separate the plot into its individual components. The illustrations are also organized in this way to properly correspond with what is happening in the story. The illustrations consist of remarkable, professional paintings that instantaneously hook the reader. The story challenges students to broaden their perspectives to learn about the struggles that other children have to go through. The story teaches readers that they should be more welcoming to immigrants in their community. The big idea is to teach young readers about immigrants and the passage to America.… (más)