Ellis Island - Hardcover

Kroll, Steven

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823411923 ISBN 13: 9780823411924

Publisher: Holiday House, 1995

Synopsis

A history of Ellis Island describes its use as an immigration station between 1892 and 1954, an era during which more than sixteen million foreigners passed through its doors, and explains how it became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

About this title

About the Authors

Steven Kroll wrote his first story at the age of thirteen. He is now the author of many children's picture books, including Patches Lost and Found, Oh, Tucker!, The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, and Space Cats. He is also the author of John Quincy Adams: Letters from a Southern Planter's Son from Winslow Press's Dear Mr. President series. He and his wife, Kathleen Beckett, divide their time between New York City and Bucks County, Pennsylvania where he has written many of his books.


Illustrator Karen Ritz has a degree in Children’s Literature from the University of Minnesota and learned to draw along the way, attending Rhode Island School of Design for summer classes as a high school student. She has illustrated over forty books, including Kate Shelley and the Midnight Express, a Public Television Reading Rainbow feature, Ellis Island, a 1995 Minnesota Book Award Winner, and A Picture Book of Anne Frank. Her work is housed at the Children’s Literature Research Collection at the University of Minnesota, and several of her books have been chosen for the annual Society of Illustrator’s Show in New York. Karen uses her thirty years of experience in the field to teach about Visual Language at the college and graduate levels.  Karen lives and paints on the 30th floor in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, overlooking the Mississippi River.

Reviews

Grade 2-5?In his attempt to provide a general overview of 200 years of Ellis Island's history, including information about the "quota system," Kroll has had to sacrifice completeness for brevity. His clear text captures the most important facts about this landmark, but some explanations are cut short and some questions are left unanswered. For instance, although the author describes the examination for trachoma as being "the most feared," he neglects to say that infected individuals would most certainly be refused entry to the U.S. The straightforward narrative is well integrated with Ritz's compelling drawings. Many are done in pen and ink, suggesting in their muted sepia tones the historical engravings upon which they are based. Others, executed in pencil and watercolor, provide a welcome variety to the overall appearance of the book, as well as expand upon the text. Much of the information here is covered in Leonard Everett Fisher's Ellis Island (Holiday, 1986) and William Jacobs's Ellis Island (Scribners, 1990). However, Kroll's title could be quite helpful in preparation for visits to the Ellis Island Restoration, and the brief index and glossary make it a worthwhile additional resource for units on immigration.?Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3^-5. Facts, dates, and numbers are a strong presence in this general history of Ellis Island, beginning with Colonial times and then focusing on the building of the immigration station and the millions who passed through there when they first came to America. Ritz's illustrations include pen-and-ink drawings of the early period, images from familiar photographs, and color pictures in pencil and watercolor. A few of the collage designs are too crowded, but in most cases the combination conveys the diversity of the crowds and the individual's bewilderment. One powerful picture combines the literacy test cards in many languages and alphabets with the view of one man being interviewed by uniformed officials. The text is flat, but this is one of the few books for young readers that provides a factual overview. Read it with more personal accounts, such as Russell Freedman's classic photo-essay Immigrant Kids (1980) and Veronica Lawlor's impressionistic I Was Dreaming to Come to America. Hazel Rochman

Edition details

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823411923
• ISBN 13: 9780823411924
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Ritz Karen
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32