Customer Reviews

Immigrant Kids

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This wonderful non-fiction book will be a hit with students at the 4th-6th grade level. The real life pictures of immigrant children in the neighborhoods of New York during the late 1800's and early 1900's that appear on almost every page of the book should hold the interest of even the most reluctant readers. However, while the reading itself is not too difficult for most 4th-6th grade students, much of the vocabulary explaining the era of that time will be unfamiliar to them so covering this book as a read-aloud may be most beneficial. Immigrant Kids provides a wonderful way to introduce students to immigration in the past and show how it has changed over time. It lends itself well to a discussion in history class on the various cultures that became part of the giant "mixing pot" we now call our country. Because this book is set in New York it can further be used to teach about the city of New York and its early beginnings. Possibly the one thing that will interest students the most about this book is that it is written from the perspective of children like themselves. Overall the historical content of this book is very well defined and accurate and the photograph driven text provides readers with a very non-threatening approach to information books. It is a must read in any 4th-6th grade history curriculum and can work as a wonderful addition to a reading curriculum when used in accompaniment with other books both fictional and factual dealing with the topic of immigration.

The life of an immigrant child was harsh. Russell Freedman accomplished his goal of showing how difficult an immigrant's life was through the use of descriptive words and photographs that make you thankful that you do not have to live like immigrant children of the past. The photographs captured our attention. Our fourth grade teacher shared this book with us. It helped us to learn about the conditions immigrants had to live under. We highly recommend this book!

If your family came to America 100 years ago, what was life like for them? Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman provides insights which pair with vintage black and white photos to describe work challenges, living conditions and more. The blend of visual and history will appeal to elementary grades 3-5, but many an older reader will find it equally unusual & compelling.

This is a book of beautiful and poignant photographs with text that truly enhances the meaning in the pictures, most of which are not in wide circulation. Many of my students' ancestors were immigrants who came to work here in the coal mines, and the photos of the little boys at work underground hit home with them.

To most citizens of the United States, the concept of mass immigration into the United States is a vague concept that they briefly encounter in a history class. Their exposure to the significance of mass immigration to the growth of the United States is so limited that they have no real understanding of the critical role that it played in the development of the country.
Using images and text, Freedman explains the immigrant experience to the young person, describing their life aboard a crowded ship, passing through immigration at Ellis Island to most likely live in a crowded tenement in a large city. Their life was very hard, most adults worked for wages that were not high enough to support their family, so children were put to work as soon as they were able. No child was supposed to work before the age of fourteen, but that was a law regularly flouted by families desperate to make ends meet.
Written at a level that young people can relate to, this book will help them to understand the valuable and positive role that immigration has played in making the United States a great country.

This is a great read for middle schoolers to understand how it was during the great immigration. I was impressed by the way the immigrants wanted to integrate into the American society. I recommend it.

Reason for Reading: Read aloud to my son as part of his history curriculum.

Russell Freedman is an award winning author with an extensive backlist and I've always been confident when seeing his name on a book. This is an over-sized book, profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs. Sometimes the photograph will take up more page space than the text and many times a whole page is devoted to the photograph. The text concentrates on 1890s-1900s immigration, coming into Ellis Island and living in New York City. The children are the focus and each chapter takes a look at a specific aspect of their live work, play, school. The book is peppered here and there will actual quotes from people who were once the children this book speaks of.

The photographs are wonderful and the book can be enjoyed simply by looking through the pictures and reading the captions. It is the photos that make this book. Unfortunately, we were not very impressed with the text. It had no cohesiveness, told no one's story, just randomly gave out information, which was interesting per se, but neither of us had any connection with the author's style of imparting that information. Rather a disappointment from a book authored by Russell Freedman. I recommend getting this book out from the library and looking at the photographs as they are definitely worthwhile.

What a wonderful tribute to our country and to those people that left all they had, to join us here! The pictures and stories are amazing!