All the Way to America by Dan Yaccarino (Alfred A. Knopf, 2011) is based on the author/illustrator’s true family story of his ancestors coming to America from Italy, taking a little shovel that would prove to be the link between the generations. The shovel, which first is a garden trowel, becomes a shovel for measuring fruit and nuts, then it becomes a shovel for measuring out beans and pasta. As the generations pass, the setting changes, until the author returns from the suburbs to New York City, giving his own son the trowel to dig in the dirt of his rooftop garden plot.
Given my interest in my own immigrant family history, I loved the story, the emphasis on family, and the connection through the generations from the little shovel and the New York City setting. The author’s illustrations are colorful and interesting for the young reader. In all, a wonderful true-to-life story for any American, and especially for those with their own immigrant stories to share with the young reader.
