In English, of Course

by Josephine Nobisso, Dasha Ziborova (Illustrator)

Set in the Bronx during the 1950s, when postwar immigrant children were placed in their first American classrooms, this delightful story tells of the riotous linguistic misunderstandings of Josephine’s first day of school. The daughter of savvy Italian engineers, Josephine has lived in the city long enough to have learned a few words in English, but is overcome when her teacher makes her stand up in front of the class and tell about her life in Italy—in English, of course. The result is a charming tale of adventures and multicultural miscommunications as Josephine attempts to make herself understood. Children will come to understand that sometimes people underestimate the talent and dignity of newcomers to the United States and will embark on a poignant journey as Josephine tells her incredible story the best way she knows how and attempts to understand her English-speaking teacher and classmates.

Genres: Picture Books, Cultural, Childrens, School, Language, Middle Grade, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2002

Reviews

[Kaitlin Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not particularly care for this story. When I skimmed through it at the library it seemed fine but when I sat down and read it I was a little disappointed. What disappointed me was the illustrations and the meaning they gave to me. I thought the characters were portrayed very stereotypically. The main Asian character in the story reminds me of some type of Japanimation cartoon. There are many different ethincities represented throughout the text but they do not look authentic and they all look pretty much the same.
The story is about a group of students who live and go to school in the Bronx but all represent a different culture in comparison to what it is like here in the United States. Each has a tidbit to offer about their home country. It is great that so many different cultures are represented but like I said the illustrations sort of ruin it for me. There is also the idea of the main student struggling to use her English in the classroom. I think it can be a relatable book to new students who have a hard time using their English in the classroom and the hard work it takes to master a new language and life in the United States.

[Sasha Harriott · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is unique about this text is that it is set in a post WWII classroom and is full of immigrant children. Students can identify the similarities and differences within each student’s story and see how they compare. The teacher asks the students to share a little about themselves to their classroom in English. Since this is a class full of immigrant students from different parts of the world, their stories are different as they tell about their culture in their best form of English as possible. However, Josephine, an immigrant from Italy, finds it hard to communicate with her class since she does not speak much English at all.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

In English, of Course is an autobiographical historical telling of when immigrant children were first integrated in post WWII American classrooms. Given the synopsis, I wondered if discriminating practices and remaining sentiments from the recently ended war would be addressed in the story. Indeed, although mistakes are made when Josephine - the protagonist and also an immigrant - talks about where she came from, I felt that the story ended up being stereotypical to the point of giving the minority students as racial caricature-like personalities. The story generally focused on Josephine, her misunderstandings due to knowing little English, and her teacher's misunderstanding. Josephine's misunderstandings on other immigrant children are said in the beginning of the story, but they are not corrected, only the misunderstandings on Josephine.

Nevertheless, when focusing on Josephine and how she was approached, it is autobiographical so the misunderstandings Josephine experiences are accurate to what happened. She attempts to describe her country, but she can only say the word farm so her teacher assumes she was raised entirely in the countryside of Italy. The misunderstanding that arises due to the language barrier is relatable to ELL students, only being able to say a few words but not being able to put them together into a sentence yet. ELL students developing further in their English can have open-ended questions on how Josephine could have said her sentences to avoid confusion.

The illustrations are indeed pretty with ink-like lines and amusing pictures to along with the misunderstandings, however; it also provides depictions of Italian cities, Josephine's home.

It is an imperfect book with stereotypes and approaching a historical perspective that could have been done with a serious tone. Still, I think this book is useful for discussion when pointing out the brief mentions of the other cultures represented in Josephine's class and if their English learning experience was similar to Josephine's. Josephine's misunderstandings about those cultures can be corrected in discussion as well, which I do believe is important to avoid further stereotyping.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

In English, of Course is a children's picture book written by Josephine Nobisso and illustrated by Dasha Ziborova, which is set in the Bronx during the 1950s when post-war immigrant children were placed in their first American classrooms. This story stars a girl named Josephine on her first day of school who has to tell a story from her homeland in English.

Nobisso's text is rather simple and straightforward. It is told from an immigrant's point of view, whose English is not perfect and their vocabulary very limited. It is a story told in broken English, very apropos to an immigrant whose first language is not English. Ziborova's illustrations are wonderful depicted, a tad art nouveau, but done well nevertheless.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It is about a girl named Josephine who is asked to tell a story from where she came from. Speaking very little English, she speaks her story in a realistic broken English and part charade. In the end, she learned new words and is eager to tell more stories.

All in all, In English, of Course is a wonderful tale about a story told from an immigrant, about her country, in a language that isn’t her primary one, and it was done rather well.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose In English, of Course with the intent of using it as a read aloud during my nonfiction unit about immigration, Angel Island and migrant workers. However, I was a little disappointed in the story based on the blurb and book reviews I read about it prior to purchasing it online. While the characters seemed stilted and stereotypical, I ended up giving it three stars for a few reasons. I believe the book wills till spring forth rich discussion about assumptions that we make about people different than us and help to build empathy.

[Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Italian girl in a New York classroom tries to share some of her experiences with her classmates. She off-offhandedly mentions a farm, and the teacher chooses to probe further into this part of the story. Because of this influence, the class and teacher start to falsely believe that she grew up in the Italian countryside instead of the city. Teachers bring their own beliefs and background knowledge to their exchanges with students. Be careful how you're framing your interactions with ELL students, you may end up putting words in their mouths!

[Ellee Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copyright date: 2002
Star rating: 3
Award: Independent publisher award
Genre: children's lit
Summary w/ themes: This book is about a girl who moves from Italy to New York. In her school, her teacher helps her tell a story by reminding her of words in English. This book has a theme of being a newcomer.
Use for future classroom: this could be a good book for students that are new to the U.S.
Thoughts of book: I thought this book was okay, I liked the illustrations and the idea behind the story but I feel like it could have been written better.

[Jenn Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep going back and forth on if I like this book. The illustrations were great and the story wasn't bad. It got a bit stereotypical, but this is something the author experienced. It does show how there can be huge misconceptions about people based on language. She wanted to talk about castles and Roman ruins, but only had the words for a farm.

[Katherine Kapellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book and thought it was pretty funny. I can't imagine being in a class where most of the students were from different countries and spoke different languages. However, it would be really cool to learn about each country and their customs.

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird story, but I like the illustrations.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.

[Treasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josephine and her family have recently arrived in New York from Naples, Italy. When her teacher wants her to tell her class about her former home, she worries that her English isn't good enough. The teacher mistakenly thinks that Josephine lived on a farm in Italy and asks her to describe the farm. With the teacher's help, she manages to find the words she needs to tell her classmates a story featuring a cow, a river, and an unfriendly pig. Tomorrow she plans to tell them about the amazing city she lived in.

One of the things I really like about this book is that everyone, native and non-native speakers alike, have had the experience of not being able to think of the perfect word to express exactly what they're thinking. Josephine's story could happen to anyone. I also enjoy how Josephine is able to communicate just fine despite her limited vocabulary. And not only is she able to communicate, she is able to tell a funny story perfectly well - and expand her vocabulary while she's at it.

I also enjoy the illustrations in this book, which are a mix of collage and ink drawing. They're a little bit bizarre and generally enjoyable, which goes well with the story.

[Jaimie Hong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young Italian girl Josephine who moved from Italy to the Bronx. Josephine was exposed to some English while living in the Bronx. However, when she started school, she realized that the English she knew was not enough for school usage. As she was explaining where she was from, she had a hard time figuring out what words to use. Because of the language barrier, her teacher mistakenly assumes that she lived in a farm in Italy. This book is about how majority of people underestimate the lives of immigrants in America.

This book offers children their imagination and well as realistic characters. There will be times when teachers ask their students to explain how their lives were in their home country and the students may not be able to say exactly everything they wanted because of lack of knowing English. The illustrations fill up the entire page with no blank spaces just for words. It will definitely intrigue a child and have them interested. It also corresponds to the text as well. The character also uses her Italian language in the book.

Genre: adventure, fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy

[Della Bowens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book and I think it should have won the Caldecott Award or at least was an honor. The story is about a girl from Naples, Italy. Her teacher asked her and her other classmates about their culture and native home. the main character was embarrassed to speak because she couldn't speak much english. The book continues with the protagonist telling a story about farm animals while her teacher was helping with the english words she couldn't pronounce nor remember. The illustrations are impeccable also. The illustrator really uses bright colors and portrays the italian backgrounds with the colors and buildings. Overall the book is very good and the illustrations will capture the students to a point that they will want to read it over and over again.

[Amy-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about a spend student with a new language present in the class. The Escher assumed something about the student and the student went along with it, but explained exactly what she thought about it. This book allows students to bring in their own perspective even if the teacher makes them write something. It also shows students that sometimes teachers are wrong. The moral if this story I believe is that we cannot always assume things are just because we have heard something or believe something. People need to allow new understanding and allow for others to teach what they know to influence the situation or environment. It allows new students or people to become more comfortable in their new environment.

[Shakita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great to use with English Language Learners. We meet Josephine, who is very funny as she tries to tell the class about herself. From this book, we see a glimpse of what ELLs go through. They can have the knowledge, but they might not know how to get that out using English. We could infer that Josephine was very knowledgeable about her home Naples, Italy, but she couldn't describe it how she wanted because of the language barrier. As teachers, we should never assume ELL's don't know anything; instead, help them find the words and guide them a long the way.

[Hatka Kecalovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book In English, of Course by Josephine Nobisso describes the struggles of immigrant children in the 1950s. The book can be used for immigrant students whih may be new within American classrooms. The book can also be used for history lessons on immigrants and immigrations. The book shows students the struggles non-native speakers deal with after moving to a new country. The book deals primarily with Italian and American culture. This book can be used in Kindergarten-5 grade classrooms.

[Khadija Bensaadoun · Rating 5 out of 5]

"In English of Course" is an amusing story about Josephine, an Italian immigrant who is asked by her teacher to describe her life when used to live in Naples, Italy. With her sense of imagination and humor she finds a way to use the few vocabulary words that she has to answer her teacher’s question. Her willingness to battle with her broken English encourages ELL students to relate her story and to not be afraid to make mistakes as their learning a new language. Grades:1-5th

[Kelli Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for ESOL students to relate to. This book talks about the many miscommuncations and the confusions that take place in school when English is expected. It also talks about the frustrations of feeling misunderstood and highlights positive ways to get yourself herd. I feel like this book is a wonderful story because it allows the students the opportunity to connect and see that it is possible to get yourself herd by your English speaking classmates/teachers.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of an immigrant girl using limited English to tell about her life in Italy. I worried that the book might take an approach that made the teacher seem mean or incompetent, but it didn't. It really just shows from the English language learner's perspective what it's like to know things and not be able to share them.

[Rocheal Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story of a girl from Italy who is learning to speak English. Her teacher gracefully teaches her new words as she is telling a story of one of her experiences. This would be great for ELL mini lesson. This story makes me think of how important communication is and how students desire it in their lives.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grade Levels: 1-3
* A great book to use for ELL students; makes connections to varying cultural backgrounds and linguistic needs; teaches students about awareness and acceptance of different cultural backgrounds; also a great book to use for students who may have low self-esteem as a result of having difficulty reading

[Maleigha · Rating 5 out of 5]

haha, such a cute book!!! Great for students who are learning english, ELLs, and ESOLs. The cute story engages listeners as they wait to hear the details of the wild story the young girl is trying to describe. Promotes diversity, and individualism. May use to make students who do not speak English as a first language comfortable in the classroom.

[Leslie Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet book of misunderstandings that our ELLs are all too familiar with. Teachers are constantly encouraging their students to speak English and they need to remember that it's very difficult for students who speak another language. This story adds humor to a girl trying to tell her classmates about her life in Italy.

[Kristen Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to use for ELL students; makes connections to varying cultural backgrounds and linguistic needs; teaches students about awareness and acceptance of different cultural backgrounds; also a great book to use for students who may have low self-esteem as a result of having difficulty reading.

[Tuyet Tran · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is encourage non-native speakers to talk in English. If you happen to have some non-native speakers, read this book to them. It will make them feel better and connect to the classroom a little bit more.

[Ali Hembree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be great to use with 1st- 5th grade students. The topic covered under this book could be acceptance for foreign students and their home languages. Also you could talk about the different place in the world each student covered.

[Deborah Harris]

This is a humorous look at what happens when you have limited understanding of a language. It is a great story about miscommunication and confusion that happen when only English is expected. It opens up a conversation about the frustration an ELL student has trying to communicate.

[Cindy]

This is great book for ELL students because it presents broken English throughout the book. Also, it covers the insecurities an ELL student may have about speaking English to a large group or small. Also, this would be a great book to use modeling to allow ELL students to understand the text.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book shows how ELL students are feeling when they are in and English speaking classroom. It can be used to show other ELL students that it is fine to feel insecure in their English, but with help they can learn many English words at one time.