Watch the Stars Come Out (Picture Puffin Books) [Mass Market Paperback]

Riki Levinson (Author), Diane Goode (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Picture Puffin Books

In this family story-within-a-story, a little red-haired girl curls up by her grandmother to hear how, long ago, another little girl and her brother crossed the Atlantic and came to America. An ALA Notable Children's Book, American Bookseller Pick of the Lists, Booklist Children's Editors' Choice, Parents' Choice Award for Literature, NCTE Teachers' Choice, and NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Grandma tells her granddaughter of her own Mama's voyage "on a big boat to America." PW's starred review praised the "superb paintings" and the "quiet understatement that magnifies [the text's] emotional effects." Ages 4-8.
- emotional effects." Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4 Many years ago two small immigrants made the boat journey alone from the Old World to Hester Street. Theirs is the special story that the young narrator's great-grandmother used to tell. The story is a common, satisfying one of a brother and sister's reunion with their parents. Nothing extraordinary happens, but of course, the family's life is changed forever. There is no dialogue in the story, and only the details important to a child are included, so that it resembles an oral history. This sparseness of text has left the field to the illustrator, in whose full-color drawings are crowds, faces and drama quite beyond this one family's tale. Young readers can return to the book many times with satisfaction: there is a lot to see, to guess at and talk about. In this year when the Statue of Liberty is being restored, this book becomes an excellent introduction to the passage through Ellis Island. Anna Biagioni Hart, Sherwood Regional Library, Alexandria, Va.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140555064
• ISBN-13: 978-0140555066
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #701,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A trip to America, October 19, 2002

By 

Kona (Emerald City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Watch the Stars Come Out (Picture Puffin Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Children enjoy this story about two young immigrants coming to America. A young girl tells how she and brother cross the ocean by ship alone, to meet their parents who already live in New York. She describes the long journey's ups and downs, and also the stop at Ellis Island for a medical check-up. Finally they are reunited with their parents, who now live in a "palace!" It's great for kids just learning about immigrants, or maybe about how your family came to America. The pictures are wistful and dreamy. Your 7-9 year old will like it!

4.0 out of 5 stars Beginners' story about Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, May 15, 2008

By 

Mary Kay Klim "Marykay" (wishing for Middle Earth, but in NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watch the Stars Come Out (Picture Puffin Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

This paperback picture book tells the immigrant story of the trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. While there are many stories about this trip, this one is told in simple terms for the beginning learner. Nice story w/ well done illustrations and a happy, inter-generational ending.

A Reading Rainbow book.

4.0 out of 5 stars Immigration - Memories from the 1880s, December 18, 2006

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Watch the Stars Come Out (Picture Puffin Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Watch the Stars Come Out" by Riki Levinson tells one story of immigration.

How did all of we in America get here? Some came long ago, and became what we know as Indians. Others came on the Mayflower, or up through Mexico. Many came in the late 1800s, through the very early 1900s, with a tremendous wave of European immigrants. This is the story of one European family.

The story begins as the ship approaches the Statue of Liberty. After a tough journey, the family reaches NYC, and works its way toward their new home, a German-Jewish neighborhood on Hester Street.

The story is told from the grandmother who made the trip as a little girl, to a young girl who looks much like her. The memories help the little girl feel connected to her grandmother, and to feel a little closer to an experience her family knew.

She sees the stars, just as her grandmother saw the stars, and realizes life is good.

The drawings are colored pencil, with a great many people, faces, and details. The story misses names. The brother is called "Brother" making a personal and cultural exchange challenging for the reader. No one has a name. The writing is clean, well-edited for the early grade school set.

I fully recommend "Watch the Stars Come Out" by Riki Levinson.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com