This vivid picture-book biography examines the life of Irving Berlin, the distinguished artist whose songs, including "God Bless America," continue to be popular today.
Escaping persecution for being Jewish, the Baline family fled Russia and arrived by ship in New York City harbor in September 1893. Little Israel Isidore Baline is only five years old. After arriving at Ellis Island, the first stop for all immigrants, Israel and his family are ready to begin a new life in America. His family settles in the Lower East Side and soon Israel (now nicknamed Izzy) starts school. And while he learns English, he is not a very good student. According to his teachers he daydreams and sings in class. But while these may not be traits that are helpful in the classroom, these are wonderful tools for a budding singer and composer. And by the time that Izzy (now known as Irving) is a young man, he is well on his way to becoming one of the most well-known composers in America.
2019 Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Younger Readers
2018 Eureka! California Reading Association Honor Book Award
2020 New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award Master List
Language
Place of publication
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From First Grade to Fourth Grade, Reading Age: From 7 to 8 years, Interest Age: From 6 to 9 years
Product notice
Picture book
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
Bibliography; Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 282 mm
Width: 231 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
ISBN-13
978-1-58536-380-3 (9781585363803)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Leslie Kimmelman is the author of many books for children, including the recent Everybody Bonjours; Mind Your Manners, Alice Roosevelt! (a CELI finalist, Bank Street Best Children's Book, and NCSS/CBC book); and The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah (a Sydney Taylor Notable Book), as well as a number of titles currently in production. Leslie has been a children's book editor for more than twenty-five years, and is currently working as a part-time editor at Sesame Workshop. She has also written for a variety of parenting magazines, children's magazines, and Web sites, and has penned numerous books for licensed properties (Nickelodeon, Disney, Sesame Street, and so on) under the name Jodie Shepherd. Leslie grew up outside Philadelphia, graduated from Middlebury College with a BA in history, and now lives near New York City with her family.
