(4) K-3 Illustrated by Elisa Vavouri. During the Great Depression, Pavel, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, plants trees with the Civilian Conservation Corps and gets to know other Americans from different cultures; some are more welcoming than others. This historical-fiction picture book’s text provides an accessible entry point to this element of history and to themes of assimilation; colorful, textured illustrations are eye-catching, if slightly uneven.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jing Jing Tsong. No longer safe in Berlin during WWII, Marcus and his Jewish family settle in Shanghai. For the holiday of Sukkot, Marcus and his new Chinese friend build a sukkah that also brings in traditions from the Chinese Moon Festival. Though the moral is sentimental and the illustrations occasionally stiff, the story's unusual backdrop--discussed further in the appended historical note--adds interest.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Jamel Akib. In eighteenth-century New Bedford, Massachusetts, nine-year-old Emanuel's Portuguese immigrant father still feels the need to hide his Jewish faith. Tired of secretly lighting Hanukkah candles and feeling ashamed, Emanuel decides to stow away on a whaling ship and become a strong, brave whaler. Dramatic chalk pastel art illustrates the less-than-believable, yet still engrossing, story.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Johanna van der Sterre. When Feivel the woodcarver immigrates to America, he finds a job fashioning wooden carousel horses. To assuage his anguish over leaving his family behind, he imbues each creature with characteristics of one of his loved ones. Watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations complement a text that presents more a picture of the past than the development of a character or story.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Johanna van der Sterre. Klezmer musician Mendel journeys from his eastern European village to New York's Lower East Side, entertaining all with accordion music that is sometimes happy and sometimes sad. Years later, Mendel's great-grandson finds his accordion and starts a contemporary Klezmer band. The gentle, well-told tale is complemented by watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations that ably depict the different settings and time periods.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn