Five Stories
Written by Ellen Weinstein
Illustrated by Ellen Weinstein
Published by Holiday House
Five children, from five different cultures and in five different decades, grow up in the same building on the Lower East Side of New York City.
Jenny Epstein and her family arrive on a steamship from Russia in the 1910s. Jenny writes letters in Yiddish to her grandmother, while practicing her English in her new neighborhood. By the 1930s, when Anna Cozzi and her Italian family move into the building, Jenny has become a teacher in Anna’s school. Then José Marte moves in during the 1960s, Maria Torres in the 1980s, and Wei Yei in the Lower East Side of today.
Perfect for early elementary students, this cross section of American history celebrates the many diverse cultures that make up our nation—from the food we eat, to the ways we worship, and the families we love.
Primary ISBN: 9780823451678
Publication Date: April 2024
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Picture Book, Age 04 or older
Community Represented: Chinese/Chinese American, Dominican/Dominican American, Italian/Italian American, Puerto Rican, Russian/Russian American, Various
Themes: Community Action, Cross-Group Friendship, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Food, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Family Relationship: Grandparents, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Family Separation: Different Immigration Status, Family Separation: Living with Other Family or Friends, Format: Audiobook, Generation: 1st, Immigrant: Economic, Immigrant: Religious Freedom, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Religious Background: Jewish, Welcoming by Community
Setting: United States (New York City NY)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant, 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience, Written with Cultural Advisors
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Source: Holiday House