Product Description

"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

• Amazon Sales Rank: #317499 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-29
• Released on: 2003-09-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 40 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780763612740
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 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
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 2^-4, younger for reading aloud. Jessie and her grandmother live in an Eastern European shtetel where, one day, the Rabbi informs the villagers that his brother has died and left him one ticket to "the promised land." The rabbi feels he cannot leave his people and decides to give the ticket to 13-year-old Jessie. It's almost too much for Jessie and her grandmother to bear, though both believe it is for the best. In America, Jessie follows her grandmother's trade and becomes a dressmaker. She works for three years until she has enough saved to purchase another ticket--for her grandmother. This picture book for older children is handsomely crafted. The pages are thick, and the watercolor-and-gouache paintings that illustrate the story are luminous. Lynch's full-page and paneled art, especially the scenes of Jessie at sea, have a panoramic quality. In some ways, the book's rich look is a problem, because the design, at times, overwhelms a story whose strongest point is its personal feeling. The pictures are striking, but it's the text that conveys the human emotions of loss, hope, and love that children will respond to. Ilene Cooper

Customer Reviews

Destined to be a childhood favorite
"When Jessie Came Across the Sea" is one of those books that stays with you long after you've read it. My daughters love the story and the illustrations are of a quality rarely seen in books meant for young children. My daughter received this outstanding book as a Xmas present and has shared it with both her first and second grade classes. Her teachers were struck by the sentimental text and both admitted to crying when they read it aloud to their classes. My daughter recently received a request from her first grade teacher regarding the possibility of her bringing it back to school this year so she can share it with her '98-'99 class! This book contains many positive messages for young minds, and I highly recommend it for all parents who wish to add a rare treasure to their childrens' libraries.

Beautiful
Somehow, I always have a fondness for beautiful picture books. I always feel that a children's picture book should be something of beauty that is timeless...something that we can all treasure but something that is especially written in the straightforward language that a child understands. This is certainly not one of those mediocre, trashily illustrated, dime-a-dozen children's book. It is the uplifting story of Jessie, a girl who comes to America to begin a new life. The language is simple but beautiful, and Jessie is someone who we can all love. And the illustrations...oh!!! They are so gorgeously realistic; especially the cover with its beautifully done painting of immigrants watching the Statue of Liberty as they arrive in America. Beautiful story, beautiful pictures...what more could you want? "When Jessie Came Accross the Sea" is the kind of book that every child should have.

A Picture Book For History Students Of All Ages
This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the coming-of age story of a young Jewish girl in an eloquent historically-based fashion. Jessie, a poor Jewish girl in a land far away, lives with her grandmother in a small village. A letter is sent to the Rabbi of the village asking that he come to America. Feeling that he must stay with his people, the Rabbi sends Jessie as his representative. Young Jessie journeys to America and, over the next three years, writes her grandmother who still lives in the village to tell her of her many adventures.
The illustrations in this book, done in watercolor and guache, are so very realistic that even the most minute details ae brought to life. The text and the pictures form a cohesive partnership, even down to the placement of the text on the page and the font chosen as Jessie writes to her grandmother. While the beginning maintains the natural flow of a hallmark picture book, the text can, at times, jump from one setting to the next in one page turn with only a statement like "weeks pass" and "three years later". This leaves the readers to account in their own minds for the missing time when the timeline of the pictures and story is so crucial to the plot line. However, the undeniably impressive spirit of the illustrations definitely makes up for the somewhat jaunty feel of the text.
This book may be used with primary and intermediate grades in American History units involving discussions of emigration to the United States. Considering that this book holds and endorsement from the Jewish Museum of New York City for its historical authenticity, it may also be used in units that discuss the cultural diversity of the United States.