Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty [Hardcover]

Raymond Bial (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Ellis Island, America’s most famous location in its history of immigration, was once a landfill in the upper bay of New York Harbor. Since its opening on January 1, 1892, Ellis Island has come to symbolize the waves of immigrants from a list of countries that seems endless. Although there were other immigration stations along the United States’ shores between 1892 and 1924, half of the newcomers to the United States came through Ellis Island. Once a popular spot with picnickers, Ellis Island was purchased by a farmer in 1794. The government reclaimed the island and Ellis Island became the foremost station in immigration services. It was enlarged to six acres, and nearly twelve million people passed through its doors until it closed in 1954.
This is the story not only of the many Americans who first came to this country through Ellis Island but of Ellis Island itself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The generously sized period photos and Bial's museum shots tell a vivid and poignant tale for even those who cannot yet read the words. If one cannot get to the museum itself, this book is the next best thing."--School Library Journal

"With the handsome treatment readers have come to expect, Bial presents the history of the New York Harbor immigration station . . . Illustrated with the author’s photographs of the current museum as well as archival images, the account is further enriched by frequent quotes from those who passed through its doors."--Kirkus Reviews

". . . plentiful historical photographs speak volumes, and Bial’s contemporary shots provide a worthy guide for those who cannot visit the restored buildings and exhibits in person."--Booklist

"As Bial's appended "Children's Books" bibliography attests, there is plenty of material on Ellis Island available to young reader. Bial stakes a claim, though, to some of the most browsable, engaging photographs, which accompany his essay on the function of the island and the experiences of some of the immigrants who passed through, or were turned back, at the examination center."--Bulletin

About the Author

Raymond Bial is an acclaimed photoessayist for children. Four of his books were chosen as Notable Books in the Field of Social Studies by the NCSS. He lives in Urbana, Illinois, with his wife and children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (May 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618999434
• ISBN-13: 978-0618999439
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,088,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Raymond Bial (pronounced Beal) is the author and photo-illustrator of more than one hundred critically-acclaimed books for children and adults, including Amish Home, Frontier Home, The Underground Railroad, Where Lincoln Walked, One-Room School, Ghost Towns of the American West, Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side, Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River, The Super Soybean, and many others. A skilled photographer, he works with ease in both color and in black and white. Working with both film cameras and digital equipment, he is best known for his versatility in portraiture, landscapes, and still lifes, and his sensitivity toward the people, places, and objects portrayed in his images.
The subjects of Raymond's books range from farm life to American social and cultural history. Appealing to young and old alike, his books are ideal choices for parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians to share with children. His most recent photo-essays are Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty, and Nauvoo: Mormon City on the Mississippi River, published by Houghton-Mifflin, and The Super Soybean, published by Albert Whitman. He has also written three popular collections of mystery fiction for children: The Fresh Grave and Other Ghostly Stories, The Ghost of Honeymoon Creek, and most recently Shadow Island: A Tale of Lake Superior, published by Bluehorse Books. His books have received numerous awards from the American Library Association, National Council of Teachers of English, Children's Book Council, and many other organizations. He lives with his wife, Linda, and children, Sarah and Luke, in Urbana, Illinois. His daughter Anna, who illustrated two of Raymond's books, is a fashion designer in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellis Island, June 8, 2010

By 

Raymond Bial "Author and Photographer" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty (Hardcover)

Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty.

"Bial examines the history of the famed immigration station in similar fashion to his Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side (Houghton, 2002). He looks at the socio-historical roots of the mass exodus to America and provides a detailed look at the immigrant experience from ship to shore, with Ellis Island in between. Primary-source quotes and period photos pair eloquently with the modern narrative voice and color photographs of the museum exhibits. Without chapter breaks, glossary, or index, this book is better suited for curious readers; for research, Ellen Levine's If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island (Scholastic, 1993) is more user-friendly. Bial does provide a helpful list of works consulted and children's books for follow-up reading. The generously sized period photos and Bial's museum shots tell a vivid and poignant tale for even those who cannot yet read the words. If one cannot get to the museum itself, this book is the next best thing."

--Rebecca Dash, Library Journal, Jun 2009, Vol. 55, Issue 6
Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellis Island, September 11, 2009

By 

Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty (Hardcover)

Striking photographs and interesting text will attract children to this lively, warm refresher on the role of Ellis Island Immigration Station in our national and personal histories. Raymond Bial took the modern photographs himself and chose the archival shots. The old and the new graphics blend seamlessly, highlighting the emotion of the events which, although history, are neither distant nor remote. Bial introduces catchy facts about the history of the island, once mere landfill, and about the United States Immigration Service, a federal response to each state doing their own thing. The book is a general view of all arrivals, with experiences true for all ethnic groups. There are several memories specifically about Jewish experiences and a few photos including Jewish people and religious items. More than half of the famous immigrants noted by name are Jewish, although the text does not say so. Jewish poet Emma Lazarus is quoted (her poem on the base of the Statue of Liberty) without being identified as Jewish. The text does not shirk from noting anti-immigrant sentiment and quotas. But, the common history for all groups helps establish a strong feeling of community. Counter-pointing the visions of the immigrants with the current visitors to Ellis Island creates a sense of poignancy and a common bond. Readers will care about the past, think about their family backgrounds, and hopefully journey there themselves as a result of this well researched, well written and well produced photo journalism. Pair this with another of Bial's excellent photo-essay books, Tenement: Immigrant Life on the Lower East Side. Ages 8 to 12. Ellen Cole

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children, August 21, 2009

By 

Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ellis Island: Coming to the Land of Liberty (Hardcover)

Ellis Island has a rich history as the United States' largest and most famous immigration station. Following its formal opening on January 1, 1892 when fifteen year-old Annie Moore disembarked from her steamship as the first immigrant to register at Ellis Island, close to twelve million immigrants passed through the doors of this station. Although it closed in 1954, Ellis Island has remained open to the public, first on a limited basis, and then, following the largest historic renovation in U.S. history, on a more general basis as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

This interesting and informative book presents a detailed textual and photographic description of how Ellis Island came into being and evolved to meet the extensive demands placed upon it by thousands of immigrants per day. Also of note is the balanced account of the new opportunities that immigrants experienced after passing through Ellis Island, as well as the enormous disappointment felt by those who made the long ocean journey only to face deportation after failing to meet the entrance requirements. Poor health, lack of economic means, and possible criminal backgrounds were enough to substantiate a decision to send an immigrant back to the "old country." Many a reader may feel inspired to schedule a trip to Ellis Island to recreate the feelings their ancestors experienced when walking through these walls during their attempts to secure a more prosperous way of life.