Reviews for A Picnic in October

The average rating for A Picnic in October based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-06-30 00:00:00 Christine Larson This is a wonderful book that helps to convey the emotions of immigrants as they come to America. The family in this story celebrates a special birthday each year in October, but initially the main character, a boy named Tony, is embarrassed by the family's traditional celebration. In the end, though, he learns a little more about what it means to become an American and the importance of the symbolic nature of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. My family's roots in America go way, way back, but my husband's family had come to America in more recent times. After we read the book we discussed the family's background with our nephew, who is visiting. We should certainly look more into the family's geneology and find out about the people and circumstances that brought his forebears to the United States. The fact that seventeen million people entered the United States through Ellis Island is an important part of our history. And I love that the boy is reluctant, almost impertinent at first, but comes to appreciate the meaning in the tradition. The narrative was short enough to keep a younger child's attention, but mature enough for our girls. The acrylic illustrations are colorful and expressive. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-12-01 00:00:00 Carl Austin This is a wonderful book for teachers to incorporate into their 4th or 5th grade Social Studies lessons. When learning about immigration and Ellis Island, lot of the artifacts and resources are often set in the past. They recount tales of what it was like to come to America; the struggles, the successes, the hardships. This book is unique because it is told from the point of view of a young child in the present day. Teachers can this book to spark student's thoughts of their own experience with Ellis Island. After reading this book with the class, the teacher could ask the students to write lists, paragraphs, bullets, or even draw a picture to illustrate everything they know about Ellis Island.