Immigrant Girl: Becky of Eldridge Street

Becky Moskowitz comes from Russia with her family in 1910 to live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. They have a grocery store and live upstairs in the same building. Becky mentions that they play in the middle of the street, that they draw pictures, and when a wagon drives over the drawings they all shout ""Get off Becky's pictures.'' Harvey depicts this I Remember Mama world of Jewish immigrants with nostalgic flavor and vigorous remembrances. Becky recalls that her papa ``tells stories and argues with the customers about politics'' and that when they take their weekly bath the water is ``warm and bubbly instead of gray and cold the way it is at the end.'' The attached glossary adds to the coziness of that sheltered worldwords for Grandma, pudding, ritual holidaysexcept for one alarming word, ``pogrom.'' Ray's black-and-white, statuesque figures add to the cordial mood of the book. Ages 6-9. (April)