cover image Ellis Island: Gateway to the New World

Ellis Island: Gateway to the New World

Leonard Everett Fisher. Holiday House, $14.95 (64pp) ISBN 978-0-8234-0612-8

Fisher takes readers on a majestic journey, the ""largest movement of human beings in history.'' Through his evocative writing, we, along with the immigrants, ``fall silent with excitement and expectation.'' He covers the area's history from colonial times until today, including stories and remarks by individuals who went through the immigration process there: the first immigrant to arrive on the island (Annie Moore, Ireland, 1892); the fire that destroyed all records from 1855 through 1897; the painful eye exam; the heartbreak of being sent back. Well-chosen National Park Service photos of varied ethnic groups, in combination with Fisher's dark scratchboard drawings, effectively convey emotion, making this a wonderful companion to The Statue of Liberty. (All ages)