Customer Reviews

Molly's Pilgrim (Yearling)

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3 star:		(1)
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Ladies and gentlemen, I come before you today with a confession. I, knowingly and without malice, am a wimp. I am a wimp of the finest pedigree, forged in the wimpy steps of my wimpy forebears. This loathsome quality only cares to show itself in the oddest of moments. Normally, I feel relatively safe reading children's books and, especially, picture books. Certainly the protagonists in these tales have their trials and tribulations to endure, but they usually do so with relative good faith and their enemies are by and large trampled soundly at the end of their tales. Usually. Then there are books like, "Molly's Pilgrim". Ladies and gentlemen, if your child can read through this book in its entirety without feeling overwhelmed by a sense of misery and woe then they're a stronger man or woman than I.

In this classic tale, a little girl named Molly is having problems at school. Her classmates tease her relentlessly, usually making fun of her funny accent and supposed un-American ways. Molly, you see, immigrated to this country with her mother and father from Russia. Jewish in faith, they originally lived in New York City, but now Molly's father has found steady employment in Winter Hill. Here, Molly is the only Jewish girl around, and she suffers mightily at the hands of the other girls. One day, Molly's teacher, Miss Stickley, decides that the class is going to do something a little different for Thanksgiving this year. Each child will design a pilgrim or an Indian for a little diorama and present it to the class. Molly is assigned a pilgrim, and she eagerly tells the assignment to her mama. Her mother, however, listens to the description of what a pilgrim is (someone seeking religious freedom and a life free from persecution) and creates a doll that is a small Russian immigrant. Of course, the other kids at school deride this idea of a pilgrim, until Miss Stickley explains that Molly's doll is perhaps the most appropriate of all. After all, the very idea of Thanksgiving is based on the Jewish harvest holiday of Tabernacles, and unlike any other student in the room, Molly is the real pilgrim.

I have absolutely no problems with this story. I mean, how can you not like it? And how many adults, if you stopped them on the street today, would be able to tell you what Jewish holiday the pilgrims, that came to our land, based Thanksgiving on? Few, I suspect. Molly is an incredibly sympathetic character, and that's probably where my own problems stem from. After all, there's a significant lack of comeuppance in this tale. Molly suffers relentless teasing and problems from other children her age, but that's never really resolved. The evil Elizabeth is never reprimanded for her actions, nor even made to think twice about treating Molly like a human being. Instead, she's nasty from page one until the end and stays that way. Which, honestly, was probably the best way to go. I mean, vengeance doesn't really have a place in children's picture books, does it? But how hard would it have been for Elizabeth to get what's coming to her? Even a little?

What I had a hard time with in this story was Molly's pain. Barbara Cohen describes it beautifully, and we've plenty of gorgeous illustrations by Michael J. Deraney (if that's the version you're purchasing) showing Molly huddled in misery on a swing, running with tears in her eyes from the girls, crying on her Mama's chest, dreading entering her school building, and miserably hiding her doll when other children mock it. It's a lovely book, but distinctly and incredibly painful for me and, I suspect, for certain types of children. For some, however, this book will be a kind of balm. They will see that they are not alone in being teased by other kids, and that Molly suffers just as they suffer.

The story is excellent. The illustrations superb. The moral, unequivocal. If you would like an excellent tale to tell around the Thanksgiving season, you really couldn't find one better. Just be aware of what you're getting yourself into ahead of time. It's a great book, but for some people a distinctly depressing one.

The only negative thing I can think of to say about this book is that when I read it aloud, I have a very hard time not crying. It is a short and simple story (longer than a picture book, but an adult can read it aloud in one sitting, and most second or third graders could read it to themselves), but one of the most moving children's books I know of.

Molly is a turn of the century Jewish immigrant girl from Russia. She lives in a small town, where no one understands her, and other children make fun of her clothes, and accent and her ignorance of American customs. In November, her classmates are appalled that she has never heard of Thanksgiving. But as we get to know Molly better, we, and eventually her classmates, realize that this child, who left her country and moved to America so that she and her family could practice their religion without fear is no different from the first pilgrims.

By the time they reach second or third grade, most children have heard the story of the first Thanksgiving many, many times. This is a wonderful way to renew the meaning of the story for them, by reminding them that people are still coming to American for the same reasons they came hundreds of years ago.

Molly's Pilgrim is an excellent story of the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Molly has just moved to America from Russia, and is not enjoying it one bit. Kids in her third grade class make fun of her all the time because of her clothes and accent. She can't stand it, especially her worst enemy, Elizabeth. When Molly's class starts a project on Thanksgiving, they are told to make a doll. When Molly tells her mother this, her mother makes a doll for her, and the doll looks exactly the way her mother did when she was a girl. Her mother tells her that the Pilgrims fled England because they wanted to practice their religion freely, this is exactly what Molly's parents did, making them Pilgrims. That day, Molly takes it to school, but it looks very different from everyone else's. The children make fun of her, but they have a very big lesson to learn; the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Anyone will enjoy this story, old or young, because many can relate to it.

Molly is a young, Jewish immigrant from Russia, who moves to Winter Hill where she is a black sheep among the rest of her classmates. They tease her, and call her names, making fun of her voice, and her eyes, and anything else that they could possibly think of to make fun of her. When Miss Stickley, Molly's third-grade teacher, begins teaching the class about Thanksgiving, Molly is lost. That is, until she finds that Thanksgiving is an American holiday where everyone is grateful for what they have. The problem? Molly doesn't feel thankful. In fact, the only thing that would make her thankful is if her family could move back to New York City, and that won't be happening anytime soon. When Miss Stickley informs the class that they must make pilgrim dolls, Molly is excited to do the project. But when she finds that her mother has made the doll look more like a Russian immigrant, rather than a pilgrim, Molly knows that her troubles at school are about to get worse. But maybe...just maybe, the little Pilgrim is exactly what Molly needs...

It is rare that a book as short as Barbara Cohen's MOLLY'S PILGRIM could bring out such strong emotions in the reader, but that is exactly what it did. The character of Molly is sweet, and kind, and the way she is treated at school could bring tears to anyone's eyes, even if you aren't a crier by nature. The awful songs that Molly's classmates sing about her will choke everyone up, but, at the same time, let the reader feel exactly how people who are "different" are treated. This is a wonderful story that will warm everyone's heart, and teach the whole family about the first Thanksgiving.

Erika Sorocco

Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

Molly's Pilgrim is the best book! Molly is a little Jewish girl from Russia. She doesn't like to go to school because the girls are teasing her. There are no other Jewish girls at Winter Hill and they think she looks and talks different. She wishes she could go back to Russia or even New York City. Molly had an assignment to make a clothespin Pilgrim doll. Her mom made it to look like herself-because mama sees herself as a Pilgrim from Russia. Molly thinks the doll is beautiful but is also ashamed of the doll because she doesn't think it is a real Pilgrim. She brings it to school and hides it in her desk. When Elizabeth and her friends see it, they make fun of it. Molly explains to Miss Stickly that her mother made the doll to look like her because she came from Russia for freedom just like the Pilgrims. Miss Stickly praises it and puts it in a special place on her desk. This makes Molly proud. We loved this book!!

By Mrs. Lee's 1st and 2nd Grade Red Group at Nike Elementary!

Molly's Pilgrim is really cool. This book is about a little girl, her mom and her dad. They can't speak english very well. When Molly goes to school she gets picked on alot. There is this one girl her name is Elizabeth and she picks on Molly the most. Elizabeth made up this song about Molly. I can't remember how it goes or I would type it in but I can't remember it. The teacher gives the class an assighnment. The boys have to make Indians and the girls have to make pilgrims. When Molly went home after school she told her mom about her school assighnment.Then Molly eats dinner, then she trys to think about some stuff to do for her assighnment but she can't thind of anything. It is already late so she just goes to bed. The next morning she wakes up and she goes to the breakfast table and at her spot is a pilgrim all nicely dressed and made just perfect. Then she asks her mom what it is and her mom tells her that it is her homework to turn into the teacher. Then Molly gets mad and starts yelling at her mom. Her dad told her she had better stop or she was going to get in big trouble. So then she stoped yelling at her mom but Molly was still mad at her mom.Then Molly eats breakfast and goes to school. Then when she gets to school Elizabeth asks her if she did her homework and she says, "yes." Then Elizabeth says then let me see it. Molly said no. Then Elizabeth says, "See I knew you didn't do it or you would show me." Molly had put it in her desk and then when the teacher came she went around the room to look at everyone's homework. When she got to Molly she showed the teacher and all the oter kids started laghing at Molly's homework. The teacher said it was the best one so she put it on her desk.

I reallly enjoyed reading this book it was alot of fun to read. Sometimes when I read it I fill like I am one of the charectors.I fill like I am one of the charectors in all the book it is like real life. I really loved this book. Well I hope you enjoy readind this book too. Thenk you for reading my review.My name is Michelle I am 10 years old. I will turn 11 very soon. I live in Texas. Oce again thank you for reading my book review. By and Thank you once again.

Molly's Pilgrim

Mrs. Stickly asks the class to make a pilgrim for Thanksgiving. Molly's mother makes one that looks like her. Mollys Pilgrim is a great book! At the end Molly understands that being different isn't bad. by Barbara Cohen

I stumbled across this book when I was in late high school, and liked it so much that I checked it out of the library to read to my mother. This book spoke especially strongly to my experience of growing up Jewish in the midwest, but I think any child who's felt like an outsider (which is to say, any child) could identify with Molly's experiences.

In Molly's Pilgrim, Molly is a third grade girl who doesn't feel very thankful as Thanksgiving approaches. Molly came to America from Russia after the Cossacks burned a synagogue in Goraduck. The family, fearing for its safety, came to America to seek a more peaceful life.

In school here, Molly looked a bit different and dressed different. Some of the cruel children at her new school in the US made fun of the way she dressed and the way she spoke. School made Molly sad, and she feared that she would never fit in.

One day near Thanksgiving the teacher assigns the class a project about Pilgrims, and soon the entire class learns a valuable lesson -- all kinds of Pilgrims make Thanksgiving a reason to give thanks.

Molly's Pilgrim is a touching story based on an actual incident experienced by a relative of the author. It's a wonderful story, best enjoyed by second and third graders that teaches children about difference and a lesson in tolerance as well. The black and white illustrations in the hardcover edition are by David Mark Duffy, and they are excellent. The book was originally published in 1998. Recommended

Find out what a true pilgrim is, in this adorable Thanksgiving story for young children. Molly is a little Russian girl, whose family immigrated to America. Because of her family's background, their accent, and Jewish ways... the other girls in school tease her. Molly is still learning about American things all the time. Thanksgiving is something new to her, but she quickly discovers what it means.

The third-grade class is celebrating the special holiday by creating a small diorama village of Pilgrims & Indians. Molly feels out of place when everything she does in school turns out different than the other students. The other kids think they know more about Thanksgiving & Pilgrims than Molly does, because she's new.

What does Molly do, that shows the students what Thanksgiving means to her?

Read this cute little book to find out what it must be like for a young girl from Russia to blend in with other children. "Molly's Pilgrim" is written for a 3rd Grade Reading Level. I'd recommend it to any little kids, who are eager to read a Thanksgiving story.