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Italian Americans
Introduces readers to the Italian American culture, immigration aspects, customs, religion, foods, and holidays. Famous Italian Americans, as well as noted contributions and inventions by Italian Americans, are also presented.
Table of Contents
- A Hard Life in Italy
- A New Life in America
- Facing New Challenges
- Changing America
- Time Line
- Glossary Terms
- For Further Information
- Index
Details
Specifications
- Author: Vicky Franchino
- Dewey: 973.045
- BISAC: JNF038100, JNF007050
- Graphics: Full-color and historical photographs
- Reinforced book (9781567661538): 7.5 x 9.5, 32 pages, © 2003
- Series: Our Cultural Heritage
Leveling
- Suggested Interest Level: Grade 3 - Grade 6
- Suggested Reading Level: Grade 4
- Guided Reading Level: R
- ATOS Reading Level: 4.7
- ATOS Interest Level: Mg
- Accelerated Reader® Quiz: 61944
- Accelerated Reader® Points: 0.5
Reviews
A Review of "Our Cultural Heritage" in MultiCultural Review
This 12-volume series for students in the middle elementary grades (it is aimed at a fourth-grade reading level) describes the community and contributions of national groups of immigrants to the United States. Each volume contains four chapters: one on life in the country of origin, followed by chapters on the move to America, becoming established in a new country, and the cultural contributions the group has made. The large-type text is accompanied by numerous illustrations and drawings, most of which are fairly small and original to the period being discussed. Most chapters also include a one- or two-page sidebar on a particular American from that group or on a cultural topic. The volume on German Americans, for example, has sidebars on Revolutionary War heroine Molly Pitcher, the history of Ellis Island, and the singing von Trapp family (a slight stretch here, as they were Austrian). Many of the page spreads include a ‘Fascinating Facts’; in the Swedish-American volume, we learn that Charles Lindbergh’s grandfather, Mans Olsson Lindbergh, was a Swedish immigrant who served in the Union Army in the American Civil War. Without going into great depth, this series does connect life in these countries of origin with the immigrant experience as well as with the place each group has in American culture. Students will probably find it interesting to learn of the sometimes unexpected ethnic backgrounds of well-known people, such as in the chapter in the Arab-American volume that includes football player Doug Flutie, disc jockey Casey Kasem, and recent presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Each volume contain a time line, a glossary of the words bolded in the text, a short list of books and web sites for further reading, and an index.
A Review of "Our Cultural Heritage" in Children's Literature
During the nineteenth century over three million Italians chose to immigrate to the United States. Their reasons for leaving Italy varied, but for many, America represented a new opportunity for freedom and prosperity. Many Italian immigrants came to the United States with dreams of a land of milk and honey. One Italian immigrant recounted his experiences upon arriving in this manner, ‘When I came to America I thought the streets would be paved with gold. When I arrived I learned that the streets weren’t paved and that I was expected to pave them.’ It is the Italian immigrant experience that author Vicky Franchino traces in this illustrated glimpse of a bygone era. Franchino begins by discussing the causes of immigration and then describes the many contributions that Italian-Americans have made. As the author points out, life for Italian immigrants was often hard. Many Americans spurned them and their cultural and religious practices set them apart from mainstream America. However, over time, Italians not only melded into America but also helped shape its culture. Readers with an interest in the immigrant experience will find this little book to be of great interest.
A Review of "Our Cultural Heritage" in Midwest Book Review
Each book explains the history of the immigration and how experiences and motivations differed between groups. This series provides young readers with important information suitable for either supplemental classroom reading or reports.
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