Synopses & Reviews
Here, in words and pictures--including imaginative pop-up illustrations--is the story of the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, and the resulting hardship that caused widespread death and eventual emigration of thousands of Irish from their homeland. Seeking a better life, those who could make the journey fled to America, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. This book's imaginative use of paper engineering shows household interiors in an Irish country village, a typical sailing ship that carried Irish from their homeland, and other fascinating details that illustrate nineteenth-century Irish life. The story is told from the point of view of Michael O'Connor, a nine-year-old boy who, with his family, endures many hardships before arriving in America. This volume is designed in a form to suggest Michael's scrapbook. It's filled with facts and true-to-life details of the O'Connor family's journey on the famine ship Dunbrody. A feature at the end of the book gives brief biographical sketches of many famous Americans of Irish background. Color illustrations on every page.
Review
Written as the journal of a nine-year-old boy, with lift-the-flap illustrations that reveal more details and images, this interactive book with lots of appeal for the visual learner in all of us offers a compelling portrait of a critical event in Irish-American history. Also included are two well-designed pop-ups of the
Dunbrody, an actual famine ship that crossed the Atlantic.
"School Library Journal", October 2007