I Is for Immigrants

by Selina Alko, Selina Alko (Illustrator)

Overview

This alphabet picture book companion to the popular B Is for Brooklyn weaves together a multitude of immigrant experiences in a concise, joyful package. For readers of Dreamers by Yuyi Morales.

What do African dance, samosas, and Japanese gardens have in common? They are all gifts the United States received from immigrants: the vibrant, multifaceted people who share their heritage and traditions to enrich the fabric of our daily lives. From Jewish delis to bagpipes, bodegas and Zen Buddhism, this joyful ABC journey is a celebration of immigrants: our neighbors, our friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250237866
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	06/15/2021
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Selina Alko is an award-winning author-illustrator of many books for young readers, including B Is for Brooklyn, One Golden Rule at School, Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, and The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Selina Alko is an award-winning author-illustrator of many books for young readers, including B Is for Brooklyn, One Golden Rule at School, Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, and The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.

Editorial Reviews

A Bank Street Best Book of the Year

* "Each letter of this exuberant and poignant alphabet book is represented by a montage of words and images that include feelings, ideas, and things that people from all over the world have brought with them to their new home. . . Readers from all backgrounds will have a blast looking for references to their own heritages and finding commonalities. Vibrant, vigorous, and multifaceted—just like America." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 2021-05-05
An alphabet book that celebrates everything that immigrants have brought to the United States, from ambition to Zen.

Each letter of this exuberant and poignant alphabet book is represented by a montage of words and images that include feelings, ideas, and things that people from all over the world have brought with them to their new home. D is for Dreamers (and dreamers), dumplings, diversity, and Day of the Dead. H is for holidays, heritage, hijabs, Holi, Hanukkah, and hope. Y is for yucca, yoga, yogurt, Yiddish, yearning—and “you.” By including both the tangible and the intangible, Alko reinforces the idea that the U.S. is more than just a conglomeration of cultures; it’s a quilt of shared values. The text is hand-lettered in varying sizes, incorporated into the overall compositions, and the accompanying images are painted and collaged with verve, emphasizing a folk-art–like artistic sensibility with saturated colors, bold brush strokes, and found objects. In the concluding author’s note, Alko shares her own immigration story and reiterates that “America isn’t any one thing”—that it is both magnificent and complex. Readers from all backgrounds with have a blast looking for references to their own heritages and finding commonalities. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Vibrant, vigorous, and multifaceted—just like America. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews