When Jessie Came Across the Sea
Illustrator
P. J. Lynch
Publisher
Candlewick
Publication Year
2003
ISBN
9780763612740
Pages
36 pages
Genre
historical
Format
picture book
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
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.
Grade Level
K-3
Lexile Measure
470L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Culture/Ethnicity; Kinship care; Poverty; Immigrants and refugees; grandparent raising grandchild; aunt raising niece; living in poverty; immigrant child
Main Character
female teenager
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
grandmother; orphan
Awards
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award, 1998, Winner, Special Subjects
American Booksellers Book Sense Book of the Year (ABBY) Award, 1998, Honor Book, Children (13-18)
Bisto Book of the Year Award, 1997, Merit Book Award
Christopher Award, 1998, Winner
English 4-11 Picture Book Award, 1998, Winner, Picture Book
Kate Greenaway Medal, 1997, Winner
Parents' Choice Award, 1997, Gold, Picture Book
Sydney Taylor Book Award, 1997, Honor Book, Younger Reader
Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for PreK-Grade 6, 12th Edition, 1999
Best Children's Books of the Year, 1998 Five to Nine Past
Best of the Bunch, 1997
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001
Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006
Children's Literature Choice List, 1998 Short Books or Picture Books with More Text Than Usual for Younger Readers (Children 5 to 10)
Immigrant Experience, 1999
Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of the Social Studies, 1997
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 1998 Geography, People, and Places: North America
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, Picture Book
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, 1997 Picture Book
Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association, 1998
Keywords
New York City; Europe; Judaism; sewing; lace; marriage; America; education; child labor; travel
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Hest, Amy, "When Jessie Came Across the Sea" (2003). Diverse Families. 1735.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1735