Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue Liberty
Author: Linda Glaser
Illustrator: Claire A. Nivola
Publisher: Sandpiper, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Recommended Age Range: 4 to 8
Website
In 1883, Emma Lazarus wrote the words that gave voice to the Statue of Liberty: “…Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” This is the story of the writer who composed these words, not only to help bring Lady Liberty to our shores, but to provide comfort, and a new home, to those seeing them for the first time.
Awards: Jane Addams Children’s Book Award; Junior Library Guild selection; A Sydney Taylor Honor Book; Oppenheim Toy Portfolio – Gold Medal Book; Amelia Bloomer Project best feminist children’s books
The Matchbox Diary
Author: Paul Fleischman
Illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Recommended Age Range: 6 to 9
A collection of matchboxes, each holding a piece of history – this is the premise for The Matchbox Diary – a wonderful book about a young boy’s journey to Ellis Island. As told to his great- granddaughter, each item brings to life what so many immigrants, at the turn-of- the-century, experienced coming to America. Beautifully illustrated.
Awards: Amazon.com Best Books of the Year 2013; Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books of 2013; 2014 Christopher Award Winner, Ages 6 & up; Winner, IRA Notable Books for a Global Society, 2014; 2014 CLA Notable Children’s Books in the English Language Arts; IRA Children’s Choices 2015: Young Readers (Grades 3 & 4); 2014 IRA Teachers’ Choices, Intermediate Readers; A Junior Library Guild Selection