Dreaming Of America: An Ellis Island Story
Grade 2-4-On January 1, 1892, her 15th birthday, Annie Moore of Cork, Ireland, became the first immigrant to enter the United States through the new facilities at Ellis Island. This fictionalized account describes her voyage across the Atlantic on the SS Nevada with her two younger brothers to join their parents in New York after a three-year separation. Shipboard life in their third-class accommodations, the welcoming ceremony upon landing, and the emotions of the children are described in text and illustration. Despite a somewhat posed, static quality, the realistic illustrations are effective and rich in vibrant blues and browns. Set on flecked, beige paper, they often spill onto the second page of a spread. On several occasions, they are paired with reproductions of archival photographs and records, including the ship's passenger list with the names of the Moore children. An afterword gives what little information is known about Annie and includes a photo of her with her firstborn child. A solid account of a journey that many immigrants made at the turn of the century.Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VACopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.