Naming Liberty is two stories wrapped into one book, the story of a Yiddish family immigrating and the story of building the Statue of Liberty. The audience sees the struggles of what immigration is like, and understand the importance of what the Statue of Liberty stands for. This book also hints at what immigrants have to do to be accepted in America. Such as changing their name, or giving up everything just to make it to America. Overall an informative story, but it is a little wordy in some areas. ( )

"Naming Liberty" is about a young girl's adventure to America. Gilt dreams of coming to America and following in her brother's foot steps. She and her family endure a tough journey from Russia to Ellis Island. Once she arrives, Gilt is very excited to get her new "American" name. But, unfortunately she is checked in by her real name. Her brother tells her that her name can be anything she wants in America. She likes the name Liberty, but decides to go by Libby. I really love this story because it takes the reader on a journey. I felt as if I were on the boat and stepping off at Ellis Island. ( )

The author and illustrator do a wonderful job of intertwining two stories together to show the meaning of liberty for two different people. Gilt and her Russian family are planning to make the move to America for freedom. Bartholdi makes his dreams come to life when he designs and builds the statue of liberty to honor this freedom for so many families who come to America for a better life. Gilt and her family made it to America only to be greeted by this majestic statue. It is then when Gilt decides her American name will be Liberty...Libby for short. This book is a lovely story about the statue of liberty and how it symbolizes freedom to all Americans. ( )

This story in unique in that it is told from the perspective of two different people; a little girl who is coming to America with her family and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who created the Statue of Liberty. As the girl, Gitl, and her family make their way from Russia to America they are greeted in America by the Statue of Liberty. Gitl realizes that they are free and she feels as if they are being welcomed by the Statue of Liberty. I believe that Frederic Batholdi wanted that for everyone who made their way to America, the feeling of freedom.
I did enjoy that this book told two different stories happening at the same time, eventually being tied together at the end when Gitl is welcomed to America by Frederic Batholdi's statue. ( )

Summary:
The book is told by two different people. It is told by a little girl who is moving from Russia to America, and it is told by a man named Frederic Auguste Bartholdi who made the statue of liberty for America. The story is interesting because as the reader we get to see the two sides happening at the same time. Bartholdi is making something grand for America to show how it stands for freedom. The little girl is traveling from Russia to America, and when the girl arrives in America the first thing she sees is the statue of liberty, and she realizes that she is free. That was the point that Bartholdi was trying to make. He wanted everyone to know that they were coming to America to be free and that is why he wanted the statue of liberty to be the first thing that these people saw.

Personal reaction:
I actually learned a lot about how the statue of liberty was made that i did not know. It was cool to read about the detail of it and this book gives you the reason behind the statue of liberty-freedom.

Extension:
Craft: have the students color their own statue of liberty
Discussion: have the student discuss what they would name the statue of liberty.