American Too

by Elisa Bartone

Book Overview

"Watercolor paintings are glorious in this Italian American story, a companion to Peppe the Lamplighter. Rosie wants to be 'modern...really American.' When chosen to be queen in the festival of San... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688132782
• ISBN13: 9780688132781
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.6" x 11.4"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Realistic view of Italians in America

I'm not sure why the other reviewers were quite so harsh about this book. I found it to be quite well done. My husband's family are Italians who came to America in the early 60s, and I found so much about this book to feel familiar---the food, the festival, the North End type neighborhood---I loved the pictures. Yes, Rosie wants to be American---is that so horrible? I bet many children of immigrants had moments where they just wanted to be like everyone else, and even, horror of horror, yelled about it and were a little unreasonable. Must every book show nothing but pride and acceptance of cultures, even one's one? I think the ending showed that Rosie did love her Italian culture and family, in her own way. I found this book very refreshing. In today's culture, Italians seem like one of the last cultural groups it's okay to make fun of or stereotype as Mafia or something, and this book didn't do that. I will be proud to read it to my own little girl, a second generation Italian-American.