During slavery, Ellen's parents could only marry using the broom that is mounted on their wall. They jumped over it and into a new life together. In this rare story from the Reconstruction period in US history, we follow Ellen as she accompanies her parents to their legally recognized marriage ceremony and learns the history of the family broom.

A nice reminder that the US is a nation of immigrants. Excellent artwork. ( )

I liked this book because of the illustrations and the message. The illustrations of the story help the reader to feel like they were actually in the setting of the book, the late 19th and early 20th century New York City. The message of this book is that change can be very great and that there are beautiful things to see all throughout the world. ( )

In my opinion, “An Ellis Island Christmas” is a fantastic picture book that reveals a powerful message about an immigrant child’s journey to America. One of the best parts of this story is its plot. The story tells of a young Polish girl who has to leave everything she is familiar with (her home, her town, and most of her belongings) to go to America with her family for a better life. The story tells about the harsh adventure the family has to go through. The family has to tread through snow and travel on an awfully long ship ride. The plot is very suspenseful from the family’s departure in Poland to their arrival in America. For example, when the family finally arrives, the girl states, “Mama ran and pulled us to the deck. She pointed and said, ‘Look! Look! It’s the Lady. The Statue of Liberty. We’re in America. America!’ and there it was.” The writing is organized to separate the plot into its individual components. The illustrations are also organized in this way to properly correspond with what is happening in the story. The illustrations consist of remarkable, professional paintings that instantaneously hook the reader. The story challenges students to broaden their perspectives to learn about the struggles that other children have to go through. The story teaches readers that they should be more welcoming to immigrants in their community. The big idea is to teach young readers about immigrants and the passage to America. ( )

This is a good book to read to students that shows the meaning of Ellis Island and how the people from Poland migrated to American. It is about a young girl who arrives just before Christmas. She experiences a few surprises while she is waiting to be reunited with her father. It teaches about immigration and how it marked a new beginning of hope in living in a country of wealth, cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity. ( )