When Jessie Came Across the Sea

by Amy Hest, P.J. Lynch (Illustrator)

Overview

"Hest simply and faithfully holds a mirror to the milestone event for millions of turn-of-the-century immigrants." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

When a young girl from a poor eastern European village learns that she must leave her beloved grandmother for a new life — and a new love — in America, they both feel that their hearts will break. The sure and inspired narrative by award-winning author Amy Hest is paired with paintings by P.J. Lynch that glow with warmth and carefully observed detail, creating an unforgettable tribute to the immigrant experience.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763612740
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/29/2003
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	118,393
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 10.13(h) x 0.18(d)
Lexile:	470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

Editorial Reviews

The strong threads of family and faith run throughout this unabashedly sentimental story of one family's immigrant experience...heart-tuggingly emotional. Lynch's idealized watercolors are dramatically composed...Aside from being a story that has relevance for many, this could be used to personalize a discussion of immigration issues both historical and current.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, recommended review, The

A touching tale. . . . The stunning paintings by P.J. Lynch beautifully convey the courage and hope that are part of the universal immigrant experience.
—Cleveland Plain Dealer

With this tale of a 13-year-old girl's journey from a shtetl in Eastern Europe to America, Hest simply and faithfully holds a mirror to the milestone event for millions of turn-of-the-century immigrants...The subtle, emotional exposition is enriched by Lynch's dramatically charged watercolor and gouache illustrations. The candlelit and sunlit compositions express the yearnings of the immigrants; their faces form a study in hope, loss, and dignity. A compassionate, heartening view of an archetype.
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

"With this tale of a 13-year-old girl's journey from a shtetl in Eastern Europe to America, the author simply and faithfully holds a mirror to the milestone event for millions of immigrants," wrote PW in a starred review. Ages 6-12. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 2-4--This narrative of 13-year-old Jessie's journey from a poor village in Eastern Europe to New York City at the turn of the century affords readers a panoramic view of events and people. The author's exploration of a variety of emotions and feelings provides modern youngsters with a sense of connections with times long past. There is the familial devotion between Jessie and her grandmother, whom she has to leave behind. A shipboard friendship with Lou, a young shoemaker, helps Jessie survive the hardships and uncertainties of the ocean crossing. Her skill as a lacemaker, painstakingly learned from her grandmother, insures her success in the dressmaker's shop where she goes to work. Her romance with Lou is rekindled when they meet years later on a wintry day in Central Park. Jessie's reunion with her grandmother, whose ticket she has purchased with money saved during years of hard work, is the poignant conclusion to this tale. Lynch's luminous watercolor and gouache illustrations capture the characters' feelings, at the same time recording the storms at sea and teeming streets of the Lower East Side. The two young people's spirit of hope and optimism, created by the straightforward text, is enhanced by these pictures, as they provide a visual record of difficulties encountered by the scores of immigrants who reached these shores. This book will be particularly useful for units on immigration and family histories, used in conjunction with Allen Say's Grandfather's Journey (Houghton, 1993) or Jeanette Winter's Klara's New World (Knopf, 1992; o.p.).--Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY

School Library Journal