How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story

by Eve Bunting, Beth Peck (Illustrator)

After the police come, a family is forced to flee their Caribbean island and set sail for America in a small fishing boat.

Genres: Picture Books, Thanksgiving, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Holiday, Childrens, Cultural

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Also known as Evelyn Bolton and A.E. Bunting.

Anne Evelyn Bunting, better known as Eve Bunting, is an author with more than 250 books. Her books are diverse in age groups, from picture books to chapter books, and topic, ranging from Thanksgiving to riots in Los Angeles. Eve Bunting has won several awards for her works.

Bunting went to school in Ireland and grew up with storytelling. In Ireland, “There used to be Shanachies… the shanachie was a storyteller who went from house to house telling his tales of ghosts and fairies, of old Irish heroes and battles still to be won. Maybe I’m a bit of a Shanchie myself, telling stories to anyone who will listen.” This storytelling began as an inspiration for Bunting and continues with her work.

In 1958, Bunting moved to the United States with her husband and three children. A few years later, Bunting enrolled in a community college writing course. She felt the desire to write about her heritage. Bunting has taught writing classes at UCLA. She now lives in Pasadena, California.

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! I wish it would have told what country they were traveling from.

[Julie Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my class this book was more relevant that it was when I was growing up. Many of my children were coming into our counry to escape the violence and hatred of their race or religion in the country of their birth. So many of my students lived with other family until they were able to get a place of their own. These children left their beloveded grandparents, friends, and way of life. How didfficult and how big a sacrafice they have made with their families. I have so much admiration for these children. Abraham Lincoln was the President who proclaimed the 3rd Thursday of November as a unique American National Holiday. We have always taught about the first the Thanksgiving as the time when both the Indians and the Pilgrims came together and shared their food. Yes, that is the story, but there are so many real Thanksgivings celebrated by those who have recently made it to America. It is difficult for these children and their adult family members. We must all work hard to make Thanksgiving a time where everyone has a chance to celebrate and not spend this 3rd Thursday in November alone.

[Ms. Arca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that this story is vague enough that SO many people could relate to this immigrant experience. I do not like, however, that this has frequently been and continues to be the experience of many people looking for safety, freedom... etc.

I am a fan of Eve Bunting and I appreciate that she writes about issues that are relevant and human.

Take a peek at this book if you want a reminder of one of the MANY things you could be grateful for this Thanksgiving season (and all year).

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Many Days to America? is a book based on the hardships and triumphs of immigrants coming to America. Eve Bunting created a realistic, sometimes depressing story about the journey that many people must make in order to escape oppression and gain their freedom. It depicts the immigrants sailing on a boat, packed tightly like sardines and battling gunfire, thieves and a broken engine. While the mood of the story seems hopeless and sad, the story concludes with the immigrants arriving in America and be welcomed with open arms on Thanksgiving day. The images in the story are very soft, drawn with what appears to be pastel colored pencils and the edges of the people and objects in the illustrations seem to fade into each other. The softness of the illustrations seems to contrast the hard, realistic story.

[Jenna Dif · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story is a wonderful historical fiction story that tells the story of a family immigrating to the United States. It is told from the perspective of the little boy in the book. It is general enough that it could be about any family or cultural background, but it is also specific enough for students to understand and even potentially relate to. It is somewhat of a sad story in the beginning, and does detail the hardships the family has to face to get to America. (running into robbers, facing bad weather, and just a generally long journey) This story could be read to any grade level in the Elementary grades, but I think personally I would recommend it to the middle elementary grades, such as 2nd-4th. Younger students could certainly enjoy and somewhat understand the story, but I think older elementary students would have an easier time understanding and seeing the reasons why the characters said and did the things included in the book.

One way a teacher could use this in the classroom would be to have students work together in small groups to each discuss one of the hardships the family faced as they made their way to America and dependent upon grade level, students could discuss it from the perspective of the family. You could assign each student (probably more of this in the upper grades) a character from the story and have the student write out how they were feeling while they were facing the challenges at sea. Then, students grouped by "family" (the mother, father, little boy, and younger daughter) could all share their feelings on what was going on. This helps students to truly think of how the characters in the story felt, and students could work on writing from another perspective outside of their own.

Another way a teacher could use this story in the classroom would be to have students write about a time when they have felt like they were new or in an uncomfortable situation. Many students in modern public school have either immigrated to the United States or know someone who has, so writing about feeling new or being in an uncomfortable situation would not be a particularly difficult task for students. (in terms of coming up with a story or situation to write about.) This could be done over a day or two, and then students could do a pair and share activity. Students could pair up and discuss their writings with a partner, and the partners could provide a "check-in" for the student to see how they are currently doing with the situation.

This book is a WOW book to me because it truly prompts students to be introspective and to think about the hardships that people have to face in coming to America, or just in being different from peers. (or speaking a different language) This book will help students to think from a different perspective and I love that it is ambiguous enough that students of any cultural background could relate to it. It would be a great read aloud or independent book activity!

[Gayle Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

follows a family as they escape oppression in their homeland who dream of America as a place to be free–free of soldiers threatening violence, free to disagree with their government and military, free to dream of a better life for their family.

On a moment’s notice they leave behind everything and set sail for America. Their only baggage are hope and their bodies. When the little boy questions why his family must leave, his father replies, “Because we do not think the way they think, my son. Hurry.” This poignant line reminds us what happens when it becomes unsafe to think or be different and when independent thought endangers the lives of those who are othered.

After a harrowing journey, the family arrives on the American shore and are welcomed with a celebratory meal. When a woman serving the food tells the little girl that they have arrived on a special day– Thanksgiving–the child asks what that means. She answers, “Long ago, unhappy people came here to start new lives.” The reader is reminded that religious freedom was a driving force in the formation of our country. That freedom is definitely worth a moment of thanksgiving gratitude. This book offers an easy way to talk about the immigrant roots of one’s own family as well as to discuss the immigrants who continue to see America as their best hope.

magnifying-lens-AQ.2-161x300 AQ Lens: This book may trigger an awareness of the challenges that parents can face as the try to provide for their children amidst challenging circumstances. It provides a natural segue to explore some of the reasons that caused a child’s birth parents to choose adoption on their behalf. Gayle H. Swift, "ABC, ADoption & Me"

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book follows a Caribbean family fleeing to America, I think it's a timeless refugee story and can be applied to those currently coming from Sudan and Burma - the conditions they left, the risks they took to flee, what they left behind, how they're starting over with nothing. In truth this family is lucky to have made it over together. It makes one feel blessed to be an American, even in hard times. It reminds us that there are a lot of people who long to come here and enjoy our freedoms.

I think it'd be a great book to introduce the concept of refugees, and then to do some community service work helping a local refugee organization.

One final note, I like the illustrations and the artist's use of color.

[Wendy Wei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel this story is fulling up with concern and compassion of immigrants. This story is talked about there were many families are coming to America in a big boat. They need to escape from the soldiers. Sometimes, they did not have anything to eat in the boat. It was a hard trip. But finally they reached to the new place, they celebrate Thanksgiving with new people in the America. I think this book help students to understand the hardships many immigrants face.

[Missy LeBlanc Ivey · Rating 2 out of 5]

2023 - In search of good homeschooling books for my grandies. Would not consider this a good homeschool book…illegally entering the U.S.

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AR POINTS: .5 READING LEVEL: 3.1
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How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting (1988) 32 pages.

A family with two kids have to leave immediately as a couple of soldier’s leave their home because they won’t conform to their religion. Of course, they are coming to America. But, the author doesn’t say from where or what is going on in their country for the family to legally be able to accept asylum here in America. Persecution of a people would be one legit reason. Being poor, or having an open border (which is treasonous of Biden) is not legit. The small boat only had a few people in it crossing the ocean. It didn’t seem to capture what really happens when fleeing in desperation from a country. Anyhow, they landed here, somewhere in America, on Thanksgiving Day, where a full feast was provided for them.

This story would have set better with me if we weren’t currently experiencing an invasion of America from people all over the world and of all walks of life, from criminals, drug cartels, people coming here thinking they will get a free piece of the pie…and they will get the very, very basics…until it all comes crashing down) and poor innocent children being smuggled in the child sex ring. Who in their right mind lets their child go alone? So far over 7 million people and counting.

So, this story today? Meh! It would sit better if the author made it clear that these were immigrants of old who passed through Ellis Island, legally being accepted into the U.S. That’s the children’s book to look for.

[Anna Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thought provoking book. This small family has to make a hard decision and quickly. After soldiers come to their home and then leave, we follow our main character, his sister, mother, and father on their journey to a new life. It communicates clearly the thoughts and feelings of the boy and the others. The pictures enhance what is being felt along the journey. You really get an idea of what Thanksgiving means to so many people.
I would use this book as a mentor book for social justice stories or I would use it as a mentor book to show how illustrations can enhance a story and influence a reader to feel more than what the words can convey. This book would also make a great discussion piece when talking about how this same family would be received today. We could use this book and discussion to come up with our own story endings for this book. This would tie in to social studies and current events.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to prepare our hearts for Thanksgiving. Even though my kids are older good picture books are still fun to read!..This is a different take on being Thankful during the Thanksgiving holiday...krb 11/26/19

[Jcraig2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story
Author/Illustrator: Eve Bunting/Beth Peck
Reading Level: LG
Book Level: 3.1

Book Summary:
A story about Caribbean refugees arriving in America, on Thanksgiving.

Bookshelf Mentor Writing Trait:
Organization- This book would be a great read aloud for a whole group to teach organization as a writing trait. This book is organized in a way that tells the story of the refugees from when they felt a threat to when they arrive in America.
I would read this aloud to students and then work with them to create a story map of what happened first, second, third, last, etc.
From there, I would have students edit a piece of their own writing by going through their story and adding sequence words to make sure readers understand the order of events.

[Meribeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a family from a Caribbean nation travels by boat to the United States, fleeing soldiers, they leave behind all that is familiar. The trip is difficult: the small fishing boat is crowded, when the motors stop the women knot clothes together to make a sail, food and water run out, people get sick, thieves come. It is a mixture of experiences too: the father sings a familiar song to soothe the children, they fish and share the catch, it rains, they see a whale, the mother comforts the child who cries. Most disturbing, however, the refugees see land, but are turned away.
The question that forms the title becomes a familiar repetition, and serves as a reminder that movement and change are painful and demanding. Often even when children do not understand how far the distance, nor how great are the losses, they do understand the comfort of safe arrival and what it means to celebrate by giving thanks.

[Megan Cureton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about a family that lived in small village, until the night that the soldiers came and they had to leave immediately because they do not think the way they think. They couldn't take anything but a change of clothes and set off for America. They weren't the only ones setting off for America, as there were boats filled with people that were on their way also. How many days to America, his little sister asked. Father said not many, but the motors stopped and they were an hour away from shore. They decided to make their own sail by tied together shirts which carried them back to their own shore and men started to shoot at them. After the boat was turned in the right direction, they were on their way. A boat came next to them and stole all their belongings even though there wasn't much to take. They arrived at the wrong land but the soldiers handed them food. They finally landed in America and the people were very welcoming and they had plenty of benches and food for them all. They soon came to find out it was Thanksgiving Day and celebrated with them. I really enjoyed this book. My favorite part of the story was when they arrived to America and were welcomed so nicely and given food. I would read this book aloud to my future classroom students. I would read this book aloud around Thanksgiving time to get the students thinking about how Thanksgiving was first created and how people use to celebrate Thanksgiving many years ago. I would have this book in my future classroom library for my kindergarten through third grade students to have access to at any time they would like. I really enjoyed the illustrations that were in this story. I like how they look hand drawn and almost like colored pencils. I like the fact that the illustrations are like this because they do not take away from the story. They add just enough detail to get the main point across and they do their job. I also think that this is a good way to get the students to put themselves in someone else's shoes and kind of experience what it is like to come to a new land, different than their homeland. You get to experience the little child's feelings and thoughts and you can connect to them and feel their pain and the unknown. I really appreciated this story and am glad I have this to put into my library.

[Lindsay Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Many Days to America is a complex picture book that follows a boy and his family on their journey from the Caribbean to America. The narrator of the book, a young boy, describes how he and his family were forced to leave by soldiers and find safety in America. They leave behind all of their belongings except for money. The father explains that because they “do not think the way [the soldiers] think,” they must board a crowded boat with many other refugees to flee for freedom in America. While on the boat, the family experiences a broken sail, lack of food and water, and being robbed by thieves. Finally, the boat arrives in America and they are welcomed with open arms, just in time for a Thanksgiving Day feast.

The text is a simple read that could be used in almost any elementary grade classroom as a historical fiction text. However, due to the content discussed in the book, it would be more ideal for 3rd -5th grades. This book gives an alternative and modern perspective of immigration and the meaning of Thanksgiving. It also portrays many of the current realities and hardships that people from other countries are faced with. This book could be used in elementary classrooms when teaching students about social justice and immigration. Teachers could use the book in social studies in regards to discussing democracy, freedom, and human rights, due to these topics being the reasons the characters chose to come to America. This would then lead into a great discussion about why people immigrate. To further the discussion, teachers could find an adult immigrate to bring into the class to tell his/her story and give the students a first-hand perspective. Students could also put themselves in the shoes of an immigrant by writing journal entries from the immigrant’s perspective using what they learned from the book and the follow-up discussions. How Many Days to America has a nice finish with them giving thanks and a reason for them to celebrate. This was a wonderful book and could be used in SO many ways in a 3rd-5th grade classroom!

[M_griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful. This short story tells the journey of present-day immigrants fleeing soldiers in the Caribbean with hopes of finding their way to America. The narrator is a young Caribbean boy who explains the journey his family takes via boat as they leave their home to be free and safe in America. I like that the boy is the narrator because it makes the story more easily relatable for young readers. Readers get to hear the thoughts of fear, hope, and uncertainty that the young boy is having as he and his family face adversity while venturing across the sea. Once they arrive in America, they are welcomed by many people standing ashore, excited to have them. The Americans invite the Caribbean people into a warm shed full of food and places to sit. It was time for a meal of celebration and thanksgiving. While sitting around the table, one American asked the the boy and his sister if they knew what that day was, and he answered with "the coming-to-America" day. The woman agreed that that was true, but said that it was also Thanksgiving, a day to celebrate the search for new lives in America by giving thanks.

This book would be great in a third grade read-aloud because it very simply tells the story of present-day immigrants. It would work well during a Thanksgiving unit to remind students that Thanksgiving goes beyond the Pilgrims, that people are still coming to America in search for better lives even today. Thanksgiving is a special day for all immigrant families, as well as a day for giving thanks for other reasons, too. I appreciate the feeling of being welcomed in a new place that this book encourages and it would be a great reminder to students to always be welcoming to new members of their class. It is likely that there will be immigrant students in your classroom, as well, and this book could help facilitate a very welcoming environment to those students, helping them feel as comfortable as possible.

[Caitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story follows a family on their journey away from their homeland. The family wants to leave their homeland because of oppression due to their government and fearing for their safety every day and unable to have the freedoms they want. After a harrowing journey they arrive in America on Thanksgiving and are told it is a celebratory day to be thankful for things such as religious freedom. This family literally left everything they had behind and faced a dangerous journey and faced many risks, but they did so because the conditions in their country were bad enough to make them do so.

This is an excellent book for an elementary classroom, especially in today's society where many of our students are immigrants, or their family are immigrants. This story can help children know that it is okay to open up about why their families chose to come to America, and what their journey was like. For students born and raised in America, this story can help them see why other families want to come here, and how thankful they should be that they never had to experience something like this. This is also a great book for around Thanksgiving time to introduce the holiday and the many historical events associated with it. This book allows for immigrant students to connect to the text, and build relationships with other students in the classroom to form a sense of community. Connections and extensions of this text are uncountable: journal entries, family stories, holidays, history, sharing own stories, and much more. A great tool for the elementary classroom to start a conversation about refugees, and the many freedoms many people long to have that we are fortunate enough to enjoy.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though written 32 years ago, this immigration story is relevant to the current day. May it be that our country will be as welcoming again. My 5 yo asked to read it a second time. Long enough that I don't think it would be as appreciated before kindergarten age but probably good throughout elementary range.

[Cynnea Schreibman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a family that is forced to leave their Island and head to America on a fishing boat. They went through a lot of trouble to get there but they were welcomed with love. The attitudes of the characters toward language and culture play a role in their lives because they were prepared for what was going to happen when traveling to America. They also didn’t know what Thanksgiving was and they were accepted in America. The family was also comforted by the fact that they were going to be in America soon. The characters were also very strong because they had to go through a lot while traveling to America. The text tells me that children communicate and interact with their family best, and when they are most comfortable. In this story, the kids were very on edge and caused them to not communicate very well. This book also taught me that children learn from their parent’s experiences and what they go through. I will use this book in my class to teach about different cultures and what they had to go through. I would read this book aloud to my class and ask them questions about why the family had to leave for America and to brainstorm ideas. As a class we could talk about how different places have problems going on and people were forced to leave their own countries. Teaching this to my students can make them aware about countries and cultures around us, and how safe we have it in America.

Bunting, E., & Peck, B. (1988). How many days to America?: A Thanksgiving story. New York: Clarion Books.

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

How Many Days Until America? is about a Caribbean family who escapes soldiers and travels to America by boat. The story begins when the main character, a little boy, is hiding under the bed with his sister. After the soldiers leave their home, the family flees to the crowded dock, where a fishing boat takes them to America. The way is difficult, as the boat breaks, people become sick, and thieves take all the group has. However, the people make it to America on Thanksgiving, where they are likened to the Pilgrims.
Personally, I felt like this book was missing a lot. Perhaps that is just me as an older reader? There was very little explanation for anything that happened, not even a mention that the story took place in the Caribbean. It felt vague, however, perhaps that is exactly how the little boy felt. I think if more details were provided, one could be more touched and have more appreciation for the story. The author was an outsider, which is perhaps why some of this happened? I did appreciate the way that they were likened to the Pilgrims because our more modern day Pilgrims need to be recognized as well. The culture was not very much a part of the story, however I liked that the people were depicted as pretty normal, instead of “lesser” than us. This is probably because the story was about the journey of leaving their home

[Kathryn Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story by Eve Bunting and Beth Peck is about a family who is forced to leave their native country when it is taken over by soldiers who have differing beliefs. The family leaves in the middle of the night, bringing only clothes and none of their other belongings. The mother is forced to give up her wedding ring and jewelry to afford the trip to America. The family boards a small boat with other families and waits to arrive in America. When the boat breaks down, the family uses clothes to create a sail. The face thieves who steal the little that they have, and the false hope of reaching a shore that will not take them. When the family finally reaches America, it is Thanksgiving, a holiday that the family is unfamiliar with. When explained to them, they are very grateful for their opportunity to start over and be free. I think this book is very appropriate for things that are happening in the world today with Syria and whether or not the United States should take in refugees. It presents the issue for children to understand and it does so in a simple way. The illustrations in this book were done very thoughtfully with extra detail used to show the family’s location in the middle of a desolate ocean. I like how this book presents complex ideas in a simple way for children to understand. I would use this book in my classroom.

[Olivia Lullie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
This book tells the story of a family fleeing their country and traveling to America. We are hearing the story be told from the perspective of the son, while he and his family travel day and night by boat in order to reach freedom.

Evaluation:
I enjoyed this story because it was vague in a way that it never stated which country the family was from, or why they needed to leave their country. It was open to interpretation of which ethnicity the family was, which I think makes the story timeless; the story is simply about a group of immigrants trying to reach America to gain freedom. I liked that the story was told from a child's perspective because it makes the children's story more relate-able to kids. The illustrations were unique, and the story itself was interesting and captivating.

Teaching Idea:
In my classroom, I would use this book to teach a writing lesson. With this book, I would do a read aloud and then connect it to a writing activity that focuses on writing diary journals/entries. The writing activity would require the students putting themselves in the shoes of the boy in the story. The students would be asked to write a series of diary entries as if they were the boy on the boat traveling and hoping to reach America. The students would be required to write in great detail, describing the surroundings, their feelings, the people around them, etc.

[Natalie Brockmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book mainly due to the reason that I've never heard a story from this perspective. This is the story of a family from a Caribbean island coming to America.
I would read this story to a fourth or fifth grade class and discuss with them how not all countries are fair and have democracies like America. We could discuss different types of governments, and the freedoms that we have here. I would encourage them to discuss how difficult leaving everything they knew behind and coming to a brand new place. We could discuss the issues they faced along the way and potential solutions to their problems.
I would definitely want to do an immigration unit, and I like that this book is from a place where we usually don't think about. This could definitely be one of the stories I read and discuss how many immigrants come from really tough situations and land on our new soil. We could discuss why we call our country "the Melting Pot". There are tons of diffferent things I would want to discuss about immigration and this book would definitely meet my criteria.
The language would be difficult for younger students to understand, as well as the content isn't easy to get a grasp on, for that reason I would encourage older elementary students to read this.

[Jessica Moden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Level: Kindergarten
This book is about a family that is being forced to leave their home in the Caribbean Islands and find freedom in the United States, being narrated by the little boy. The language used is very formal and descriptive, with not a lot of expression/dialogue. There is a definite demonstration of dominance in men over woman (patriarchy), for the women in this story were not the decision makers. Once the family gets to America there is a definite shift in the family’s mood; the children began to talk to their father which had not occurred previously. This would be a great book to include in a classroom lesson about cultures and how all vary from one another. This book does an excellent job at portraying how children act differently when compared to other cultures; this was shown through the interactions the children made with the elders. This is an amazing book with somber illustrations to follow the storyline, definitely worth a spot on the shelf in the classroom library.

[Kissa Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this historical fiction book, How Many Days to America? by Eve Bunting, a group of refugees takes on a dangerous journey by boat to America from a Caribbean island, it did not specify which one. The story is told from the perspective of a little girl who describes their journey and the obstacles they encountered upon arriving in America. The author, Bunting, is an immigrant from Ireland, who relates to this story. This story relates to immigration because the group of people are traveling out of their country to another, in this case it is America. The story includes realistic and convincing characters and the illustrations are accurate in terms of setting, plot, and characters. It also includes a problem and a solution. The problem was the group’s long journey to America, which included tough obstacles, and the solution was that the group safely arrived at their destination, America. The book is age appropriate and children can understand what is represented. This story is interesting to children and it does not over simplify the lifestyle of the group of Caribbeans.

[Meghan Takayoshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Traditional story about different cultures who migrated to America. In the story the family leaves in the middle of the night and the children seem to be a little out of the loop what is going on. The story goes on to tell the experience of sailing to America. The book was very realistic through the different events that occurred. This book was a little bit vague when it came to the reader learning where this group of people were migrating from. The illustrations were my favorite part of this book. Good book for students to be able to use in a history class who are completing a lesson on different migrations to America. This book could also be good in an English class for students to predict things that the characters were going through that were not mentioned in the book. This book could also be good for a diversity class, for students to learn about the hardship and also the longing which people had for getting to America.

Bunting E. (1990). How Many Days to America?: A Thanksgiving Story. New York, NY.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

[Greg Guzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was different than other children's books I have read before. There was a underlying sadness of when these people left their country that was never really addressed. Since this book was told by the son's point of view. However it had a nice message at the end. That being grateful for this country. It reminded me of the story my Abuelita told me of how her family came to America over 100 years ago. And the hardships that went with them leaving Mexico like losing a baby. Due to the fact they had no food like the people in the story. But the people in the story were able to fish which made a lighter tone to take over. I think that this book is special since not everyone sees what goes on when you have to flee your country. People are quick to judge but never quick to understand. That is something that this book help put into perspective. Along with the fear that happens when you leave. So this was a good book that I would totally read to kinds and I think that I would have all the answers for them if they had questions.

[Eve Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the way this story distills a common immigrant story for many Americans to its essence, making it accessible for immigrants of many cultures, but without whitewashing it. And in its un-whitewashed truths it doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities (Soldiers cause them to flee, first country rejects them) but remains hopeful (they make it). Well done.

[Taryn Vogel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Reaction: This book was a big eye opener for me. A lot of the times you don't really realize what other cultures go through and how much of a struggle it is just to come to America. This book shows a great lesson in culture, and the struggles that others go through.

Purpose: I think this book is meant for 4th or 5th grade. It follows a family who leaves their village to start their journey to America. It is not an easy journey by any means, but they make it. This book is the best way to show a history lesson, and a lesson in different cultures. Most students, being born in America, will open their eyes to how maybe some of their ancestors came to this country. It is written from a child's point of view, so it would be very easy for the students to follow and understand the trials and tribulations this family went through. It is also a lesson in never giving up. This family never gave up on their journey, and they finally made it safely to America.

[Emily Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

How Many Days to America? tells the story of a family, forced out of their own home by the invasion of soldiers, who make the decision to move to America. Only allowed to take one extra change of clothes, the family waits until dark, and then makes their way to the boat. With the worst conditions possible and on a very crowded boat the family make it to America just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving. There are many ways that this book could be integrated into the classroom. In the book the family celebrates the American tradition of Thanksgiving and learn that is a celebration of all the people that moved to America to start better lives. Students could research other American holiday traditions and learn why we celebrate them. The story shows us why the family moved to America and the journey that they took to get here. Students could interview their parents and grandparents to learn why their families moved to America and how they got here as well.