All the Way to America: The Story of A Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel

And round and round and round we go....our story begins with Michele Iaccarino, great-grandfather of the author/illustrator of this book, living on a farm in Sorrento, Italy. His father gave him a little shovel and he used that shovel to take good care of the zucchini, tomatoes and strawberries that the family grew to sell in the local village. Warm primary colors stand out against and golden brown background of the land of Sorrento. This is a family that works together and pitches in to survive and to love. The shovel is going to pass into the hands of a succession of generations of Iaccarinos who will immigrate to the United States and make new lives for themselves always remembering to "work hard, enjoy life and never forget your family." Connections lace their way all through the story and the importance of creating your own life while never letting go of family and love is the essential ingredient. We make our way from generation to generation and see how they used the shovel in their work ending with Dan Yaccarino and his family. The end flap suggests using the book to ask children to trace their family journey to America. Great read aloud. Ages 5-9 40 pages