The Woodcarver's Daughter

by Yona Zeldis McDonough, Kaja Kajfez (Illustrator)

Overview

After a pogrom forces Batya's Russian Jewish family to leave their home and make the journey to America, Batya hopes her new life will offer her a chance to become a woodcarver like her beloved father. But while many things in America are different from the world of her shtetl, one thing seems to be the same: only boys can be woodcarvers. Still, Batya is determined to learn. With the same perseverance that helped her family survive and start over in an unfamiliar land, Batya sets out to carve a place for herself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541586673
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.75(h) x 0.51(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Yona Zeldis McDonough was born in Hadera, Israel, and lives in Brooklyn, New York. Educated at Vassar College and Columbia University, she is the author of eight novels for adults. Her short fiction, essays, and articles have appeared in many national and literary publications. She is the fiction editor of Lilith Magazine, a feminist, Jewish magazine.

Editorial Reviews

"This story teaches about many interesting topics: Russian pogroms, immigration, woodcarving, carousels, Jewish culture, deafness, gender issues, and much more." — Elizabeth Caufield Felt, Historical Novel Society

From the Publisher

2021-02-09
Batya couldn’t be a woodcarver back in the old country, but maybe she can be one in the golden land of New York City.

In 1915 Russia, 12-year-old Batya isn’t allowed to apprentice to her woodcarver father. Her older brother, who lacks interest in the work, must nonetheless learn the trade. Batya’s life turns upside down when pogroms descend on their village, making it unsafe for her Jewish family to stay in Russia. After a journey that’s depressing and lovely by turns, Batya discovers she’s miserable in New York. Her baby sister’s gone deaf on the ship, the tenement they live in is ugly and cramped, and Batya struggles to learn English. Worst of all, there’s no time to whittle, and Papa can’t find a job carving, either. Eventually, Batya’s misery leads her into adventures that improve not only her life, but also her whole family’s. Her journey to become a woodcarver is framed from beginning to end with a lovely appreciation for the artistry of carousel horses. Some historical details are simplified, but for the most part these choices harmlessly ease the way for contemporary readers. Unfortunately, the narrative supports the urban legend that names were changed at Ellis Island by callous officials, which serves no storytelling purpose here. Non-English words are inconsistently italicized.

Charming, warming girl power in early-20th-century immigrant New York. (historical note, timeline, glossary) (Historical fiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews