View on Biblioguides
Readers of Plumfield Moms may have noticed that I’ve been slowly reading my way through the Tales of Young Americans series this year. These picture books offer vivid slices of American history, accessible to younger readers, yet rich and interesting enough to captivate adults like me. I often find myself getting lost in their brief but powerful narratives, and each one leaves me with a deeper appreciation for some facet of the American experience.
As a librarian, I’ve noticed that once families read one or two of these titles, they’re eager to explore the rest. In response, I’ve begun bundling them into pouches—four books per set, each with a balance of stories featuring boys and girls and spanning a variety of historical periods. With nearly twenty titles in the series, I expect to end up with five such bundles.
Rebekkah’s Journey, written by Ann E. Burg and illustrated by Joel Iskowitz, is a poignant and hopeful story about Jewish refugees who came to America during World War II. In 1944, President Roosevelt invited 1,000 European refugees to seek shelter at a retired U.S. Army base in upstate New York. Arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs, these families were transported to Fort Ontario Refugee Shelter.
At first, the refugees were locked inside the base—likely for quarantine reasons—but this confinement felt like a betrayal to many who believed they were coming to a land of freedom. Rebekkah’s mother, however, refused to complain. She reminded her daughter that they were safe, together, and healthy—and that was what truly mattered.
Despite the fence that surrounded the base, Americans gathered outside to welcome them—passing candy through the chain links, tossing shoes and toys over, even lifting bicycles high above the fence while those inside helped lower them down. Teachers soon arrived to offer lessons in English and other subjects, helping the refugees prepare for life in their new country. Eventually, the gates opened, and the refugees were allowed to enter the town—to attend school, shop, and begin the process of becoming Americans.
Like other books in the Tales of Young Americans series, Rebekkah’s Journey tells a hopeful story. The writing has a lovely living quality and draws the reader into the emotions of the story. I had never heard of the Fort Ontario Refugee Shelter before reading this book, and I was moved by the generosity of the Americans who welcomed these families with such tangible kindness.
This series is, in my view, indispensable. Rebekkah’s Journey is a powerful read-aloud, an excellent resource for teaching about World War II, and an important addition to any study of immigration in American history. I recommend it wholeheartedly.