Streets of Gold [Hardcover]

Rosemary Wells (Author), Dan Andreasen (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1999 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Masha, a young Russian girl, is terribly afraid of the czar, whose piercing eyes glare at her from the portrait Masha's parents must keep on the wall. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, the czar's harsh anti-Semitic laws forbid Masha, who is Jewish, from going to school-something the bright, inquisitive girl desperately wishes to do. When her family immigrates to America, Masha not only achieves the long-desired education, but also gains success as a poet, and a love for her new country that will last all her life.

In a picture book inspired by Mary Antin's classic immigrant memoir The Promised Land, Rosemary Wells brings renewed vigor and freshness to a story of the fundamental American experience. Dan Andreasen's warm, sympathetic illustrations glow with the hope and love that Mary finds in her new land.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Among a profusion of books about turn-of-the-century Russian-Jewish emigrants, Wells's (Mary on Horseback) and Andreasen's (Eagle Song) story about Mary Antin (1881-1949) stands out for its exceptional economy and tenderness. Short passages from Anton's memoir The Promised Land appear in margins here, complementing Wells's first-person text. Masha (her name was later Americanized to Mary) begins with a description of her family's life under the czarist regime. Wells avoids rhetoric, striking home with powerful details and images: an official measures her brother's nose with a ruler ("Only short-nosed Jewish boys could attend school"); after Masha's father leaves for America, the first step in the whole family's emigration, the czar's police confiscate all their possessions ("every rickety chair and pair of shoes in our house"). One of the great strengths of the text is its embrace of contradictory elements: in Boston, the Antins' tenement apartment is squalid, yet the school is wonderful. Less than a year after arriving in America, the girl writes an epic verse in praise of George Washington that gets published in a newspaper: she, like Wells and Andreasen, perceives how the slum alleyways can sometimes seem like "streets of gold." Stately oils convincingly express Masha/Mary's sorrow, yearning, confusion and blossoming text and art put a human face on an archetypal experience. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4This picture-book biography is based upon the life of Masha (Mary) Antin, who emigrated from Russia in 1894. This account has been adapted from her memoir, The Promised Land (Ayer, 1980). Her own words appear in the margins. Life was harsh and cruel for Jews under Czar Alexanders rule. Mary felt doubly cursed; since she was Jewish and a girl, going to school was out of the question. Nevertheless, she had a desire to learn, so her father taught her to read and write. Then, he left for America with a plan to send for his family when possible. They also scrimped and saved until they could afford passage and the family was at last bound for Boston. They lived in a tenement but both Mary and her brother went to school. Mary, at age 13, was placed in the first grade, but advanced to the fifth grade within six months. This beautiful story of hope and inspiration captures the spirit of those who gave up everything for a chance at a better life. The oil paintings provide an evocative accent to the narrative. Reds, browns, and other earth tones dominate pages depicting scenes in the Old World. The colors brighten on the pages reflecting Marys new life in Boston. A fine complement to Riki Levinsons Watch the Stars Come Out (Puffin, 1995) or Barbara Cohens Mollys Pilgrim (Lothrop, 1983).Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1 edition (May 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803721498
• ISBN-13: 978-0803721494
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,749,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." Her childhood years were spent between her parents' home near Red Bank, New Jersey, and her grandmother's rambling stucco house on the Jersey Shore. Most of her sentimental memories, both good and bad, stem from that place and time. Her mother was a dancer in the Russian Ballet, and her father a playwright and actor. Mrs. Wells says, "Both my parents flooded me with books and stories. My grandmother took me on special trips to the theater and museums in New York. "Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions, published by Candlewick. Wells wrote and illustrated Unfortunately Harriet, her first book with Dial, in 1972. One year later she wrote the popular Noisy Nora. "The children and our home life have inspired, in part, many of my books. Our West Highland white terrier, Angus, had the shape and expressions to become Benjamin and Tulip, Timothy, and all the other animals I have made up for my stories." Her daughters Victoria and Beezoo were constant inspirations, especially for the now famous "Max" board book series. "Simple incidents from childhood are universal," Wells says. "The dynamics between older and younger siblings are common to all families."But not all of Wells' ideas come from within the family circle. Many times when speaking, Mrs. Wells is asked where her ideas come from. She usually answers, "It's a writer's job to have ideas." Sometimes an idea comes from something she reads or hears about, as in the case of her recent book, Mary on Horseback, a story based on the life of Mary Breckenridge, who founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Timothy Goes to School was based on an incident in which her daughter was teased for wearing the wrong clothes to a Christmas concert. Her dogs, west highland terriers, Lucy and Snowy, work their way into her drawings in expression and body position. She admits, "I put into my books all of the things I remember. I am an accomplished eavesdropper in restaurants, trains, and gatherings of any kind. These remembrances are jumbled up and changed because fiction is always more palatable than truth. Memories become more true as they are honed and whittled into characters and stories."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story about overcoming hardship, September 3, 2005

By 

dnk "dnkboston" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Streets of Gold (Hardcover)

This book has a special meaning for me and my family. Both my husband's and my ancestors were Jews who left Russia after enduring centuries of discrimination and danger. As our children get older and time creates more distance between us and what our ancestors suffered, I find myself seeking out these stories so that they can appreciate just how privileged a life we lead now.

This is the perfect story to make that point. Without any hint of adult indignation or politics, the author tells the story from the point of view of the young girl who has to watch as her brother's nose is measured to see if he can go to school (he can't); who knows that her parents have to stay and work in one section of town because they are Jewish but does not understand why; who is desperate to learn and escape from an illiterate destiny as a shopkeeper; and who listens in childhood terror to a man broken as a boy by the czar's soldiers, for the sole "crime" of being Jewish.

The book is also honest about the Masha's/Mary's believable childhood desires. At one point, she encounters a wealthy non-Jewish Russian. When asked what she wants, she thinks to herself that she wishes she could have her hair and shoes. Adults would probably be too proud to admit to such things, but a child would not- and thinking those things under those circumstances doesn't make her any less Jewish or at all ashamed of such.

The most touching parts of the story are the interactions with her beloved father and her less seen but equally devoted mother. Though forbidden by Russian law to go to school, her father takes her deep into the woods to read the five books they own. Later, when her father leaves for the United States to make a better life for them, her mother works to secure the best life she can for her children. The most heartbreaking moment in the book comes when Masha, her mother and brother finally leave Russia; in doing so, they also say goodbye to her older sister, whom Masha will never see again.

The streets of America are not, of course, paved with gold, and Masha lives in a hot tenement near drunks and dope addicts. However, she remains studious and ambitious, taking shelter in school and in her parents' support. By the end of the story, she has mastered her new language well enough to have a poem published in the Boston Globe.

This is a wonderful story that, although set in the past, can resonate with younger readers, because although it is not 1894, there are still plenty of hardships both natural and man-made that people must overcome.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jewish girl's journey to America, July 30, 2008

By 

T. B. Guinan (Wichita Falls, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Streets of Gold (Hardcover)

This is a true story about a young girl named Masha in the late 1800's who questions the rules that she has to follow as a Jew living under a Russian czar. Her life is turned upside down when her father leaves the family and travels to America for a better life. Once he is gone, the Russians torment Masha's family, taking away all of their belongings. Finally, Masha is able to travel to America with her brother and start a new life. Once there, Masha and her brother are reunited with their father and are able to go to school for the first time. For an assignment, Masha writes an inspiring poem worthy of being published in the Boston Herald.

Rosemary Wells brought a wonderful, inspiring story back into the spotlight with this book. I would recommend this book to children of the 4th through 6th grade level. Teachers can easily use this book for many objectives including but not limited to: Setting, cause and effect, fact and opinion, context clues, text structure, main idea, summary, compare and contrast, and sequence. This book can also very easily be connected to writing. The descriptions given in the book of both Russia and America are outstanding.