Their Great Gift
Courage, Sacrifice, and Hope in a New Land
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
With lyrical text and thought-provoking photography, Their Great Gift explores the experiences of immigrants in the twenty-first century, focusing on the lives of children. Images of families who came to the United States from many different parts of the world celebrate the diversity of our country and contain a vision of hope for the future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Coy (Hoop Genius) and photographer Huie (Looking for Asian America), in his first book for children, deliver a visual smorgasbord that informs young readers and reminds older ones how the United States was and continues to be made. Color and b&w photographs of modern-day immigrants appear alongside a spare, poetic text describing their collective experience in a new country. "They made mistakes and people laughed. Others didn't understand how much they'd sacrificed. They worked long, hard hours, at difficult jobs....They saved and did without/ and sent money back." The newcomers (mostly Asian, African, and Hispanic) cover a broad range of ages and appear in everyday scenes: children at a school lunch table or Scout meeting; adults learning a new language or working at night. Some stare with expressive eyes, while others mingle and laugh with family and friends. The message is clear: they are us, as they always have been. The final line, "What will we do with their great gift?" poses a seminal question for citizens already here. Both author and illustrator detail their own ancestors' arrival stories in endnotes. Ages 5 9.
