In English, of Course
Illustrator
Dasha Ziborova
Publisher
Gingerbread House
Publication Year
2002
ISBN
9780940112070
Pages
32 pages
Genre
historical
Format
picture book
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
Set in the Bronx during the 1950s, when postwar immigrant children were placed in their first American classrooms, this delightful story tells of the riotous linguistic misunderstandings of Josephine’s first day of school. The daughter of savvy Italian engineers, Josephine has lived in the city long enough to have learned a few words in English, but is overcome when her teacher makes her stand up in front of the class and tell about her life in Italy—in English, of course. The result is a charming tale of adventures and multicultural miscommunications as Josephine attempts to make herself understood. Children will come to understand that sometimes people underestimate the talents and dignity of newcomers to the United States and will embark on a poignant journey as Josephine tells her incredible story the best way she knows how and attempts to understand her English-speaking teacher and classmates. Josephine Nobisso is the author of 17 books including Grandpa Loved, Grandma’s Scrapbook, and Shh! The Whale is Smiling. She lives in Quogue, New York. Dasha Ziborova is the illustrator of Crispin the Terrible. She lives in New York City.
Grade Level
PK-1; K-3
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Culture/Ethnicity; Racial Diversity; Language barrier; Multicultural; Multiethnic; Bilingual; Immigrants and refugees; Multiracial; communication barrier; different languages; learning a new language; multicultural community; multiple cultures; different cultures; multiple heritages; multiple ethnicities; bilingual child; immigrant family; immigrant children; multiple races; different races
Main Character
female child
Race/Ethnicities
Asian (Chinese) / Latinx (Puerto Rican) / White (Italian)
Family Formation
mother and father
Keywords
melting pot; Bronx; China; Puerto Rico; Naples; architectural engineer; pride; stories; classmates; school; farm; pig; cow; river; Italian/English
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Nobisso, Josephine, "In English, of Course" (2002). Diverse Families. 1676.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1676