For children curious about their family's roots or how new arrivals shaped America, this book shares real stories of immigrants at Ellis Island, inspiring empathy and understanding.
A parent might reach for this book when their child is studying immigration, asking about their family's own history, or needs help understanding the experiences of friends who have moved from other countries. 'I Was Dreaming to Come to America' uses direct quotes from the Ellis Island Oral History Project, sharing the real voices of people who made the journey. It covers powerful emotional themes of hope, fear, resilience, and the search for belonging. For ages 8-12, this book is a beautiful and accessible way to humanize history, teaching empathy by showing that behind historical events are individual people with powerful stories.
The book deals directly with the hardships of immigration: poverty, leaving family behind, seasickness, crowded and unsanitary conditions on ships, and the intense fear of medical examinations that could lead to separation or being sent back. The tone is matter-of-fact and honest, rooted in personal memory. Because these are success stories (the speakers were admitted), the overall resolution is hopeful, but the suffering and fear are not minimized. The approach is secular and historical.
Ideal Reader
This is for a curious, empathetic 8 to 12-year-old who is ready to understand history through personal narrative rather than dates and facts. It's particularly powerful for a child researching a family heritage project, or one living in a less diverse community who could benefit from a window into the immigrant experience. It also suits a child who connects more with art and personal stories than with textbook-style nonfiction.
Parent Prep
Parents should be prepared to discuss the historical context of early 20th-century immigration. It would be helpful to preview the sections on the medical inspections (pages 26-27), which describe the fear of the "eye man" looking for trachoma. A parent can explain why these inspections were so frightening and what was at stake for the families. Having a world map handy to locate the countries mentioned would also enrich the reading experience. A child comes home from a social studies class talking about immigration and asks, "Why did our family come here?" or "Was it scary?" Another trigger might be the child noticing a new student at school who has just moved from another country and wanting to understand their experience better.
Age Experience
A younger reader (8-9) will connect with the concrete details: the food, the crowded ships, the first sight of the Statue of Liberty. They will grasp the core emotions of being scared but excited. An older reader (10-12) will better understand the nuances: the political and economic reasons for leaving, the concept of assimilation, the bittersweet feeling of leaving a culture behind, and the courage it took to start over with nothing.
What Makes It Special
Its use of verbatim quotes from the oral history project makes it uniquely authentic. Unlike a fictionalized story, this book presents the unvarnished, first-person memories of real people, lending it an immediacy and emotional weight that is hard to replicate. The mixed-media, collage-like art style also sets it apart, feeling more like a personal scrapbook than a formal history book.
Read plot summary
This book is a collection of short, first-person vignettes drawn directly from the Ellis Island Oral History Project. Each spread or section features the words of a different immigrant, recounting their memories of leaving their homeland (primarily European countries), the difficult journey by sea, the anxieties of being processed at Ellis Island, and their first impressions of America. The text is accompanied by Veronica Lawlor's expressive, scrapbook-style illustrations that blend drawings, maps, and historical documents.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
