When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest and P.J. Lynch
Econo-Clad Books, Topeka, 2003
Hardcover, 40 pages
ISBN: 978-0-6136-9484-1
Suggested reading age: 5+
Reviewed by: Indrani Perera
Rating: *****
Set at the turn of the 19th century, this is a tale of immigration and finding a new home in an alien land. It is beautiful, haunting and heartwarming. As I read it, I shed a tear or two over the story of Jessie, sent from Europe to America at the tender age of thirteen. She leaves behind her grandmother to live and work as a lacemaker in New York cit.
Magnificently illustrated with wonderful sensitivity and compassion by Kate Greenaway medallist P.J. Lynch. It is rare to find a children's book so beautifully illustrated. The pictures could easily hang on a gallery wall. Both my daughters (aged 9 and 5) loved this story and begged for it to be read again and again.
Comments