Skip to main content

All the Way to America

By

All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel
Dan Yaccarino
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011. Unpaged. Biography/picture book.

Because this heart warming picture book is tucked in on the biography shelf, you might miss it. It simply and sweetly tells the story of illustrator Dan Yaccarino's family, beginning with his great-grandfather, Michele Iaccarino. Michele grew up in Sorrento, Italy, and helped his parents in their garden with a little shovel his father has given him. As a young man, Michele leaves Italy for a better life in America. He takes with him the little shovel, a few photographs, his mother's tomato sauce recipe, and the advice of his parents: to work hard, to enjoy life, and to never forget his family. Each succeeding generation passes on the little shovel, and also passes on the traditions of working hard, enjoying life and loving their families. Now Dan's children use the shovel to help him and his wife garden on their small terrace. The stories of each generation are accompanied by colorful illustrations that will appeal to even very young children, and this is a great book to spark interest in family history for readers of any age.
Labels:

Comments

lw said…
Great review! Dan Yaccarino is one of my faves, especially for Every Friday, and it was nice to find out something about his family in this lovely picture book.
March 22, 2011 at 9:38 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dog Man Read Alikes

By
Dog Man  is a popular graphic novel for middle graders all about the adventures of a half-man, half-dog police officer. With 14 books in the series, many readers can't get enough of these hilarious stories! If your child is looking for more books like Dog Man, here are some great options to try out.  Dex Dingo: World's Best Greatest Ever... Inventor By Greg Foley Los Angeles: Disney-Hyperion, 2024. Comic. 157 pages.  Dex Dingo doesn't know what he wants to do when he grows up. His classmates all seem to know, but he just doesn't feel like he is the BEST at anything. When a class assignment challenges him to figure out what he wants to be, he decides he wants to become the world's best ever inventor! Filled with beautifully drawn spreads and kid-approved humor, this book is sure to please any Dog Man fan.  Troubling Tonsils Written by Aaron Reynolds Illustrated by Peter Brown  New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025. Fiction. 71 pages.  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Five Faves: New Dragon Chapter Books for Middle Grade

By
As a kid I was OBSESSED (all caps!) with dragons.  Dragons can be scary, majestic, loyal, greedy, but what they all have in common is how fun they are to read about!  Check out the dragon books below for some fun new reads! Dad Rock Dragon Quest Written by Joan Reardon New York : Aladdin, 2025. Fiction. 342 pgs. Dad Rock Dragon Quest follows 12-year-old aspiring rockstar Zadie Drake, whose summer plans to bond with her super cool, if sometimes absent, daredevil park ranger dad get complicated when her mom’s boring new boyfriend tags along. After they arrive at her dad’s cabin, a poacher kidnaps her dad’s ice-breathing dragon, revealing her dad's secret role protecting magical creatures and thrusting the family into a high-stakes rescue mission. Along the way, Zadie begins to rethink her relationships with both her father and her mom’s boyfriend.  Dragonborn Written by Struan Murrya New York, NY : Dutton Children's Books, 2025. Fiction. 320 pgs. Dragonborn  follows 1...
Post a Comment
Read more