Watch the Stars Come Out

by Riki Levinson Diane Goode

In this warm, poignant story, a little girl hears how, long ago, another little red-haired girl - her great-grandmother - sailed across the sea with her older brother to join their immigrant parents in a strange new land called America.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction, Immigration, Childrens, Family

28 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure I remember this from watching Reading Rainbow in my childhood (I LOVED that show!). It's a sweet story about a brother and sister that migrate to America during the turn-of-the-century to live with their parents and older sister who have already moved over. Their first glimpses of The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are sweet.

Ages: 4 - 9

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[Bat713 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my choice for Immigrant selection for the Westerville Library Challenge.
Good second grade level picture book.

[Meribeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another unusual Thanksgiving book, Levinson’s immigrant story, effectively accompanied by Goode’s characteristic soft-focus paintings, captures the experiences of young travelers who sailed across the sea to join their parents in a strange land. Its charm is due in no small part to the mix of minimalist language with non-intrusive scenic details, evoking feelings and experiences of arrival and resettlement in a foreign place.
Full color paintings carry the drama beyond the young girl and her brother whose story this is, reminding readers of the changes and losses involved in moving from one community to another. Historic Ellis Island, the trolley, even the fifty-two steps the children climb to “Mama’s palace,” give a sense of an era now past, and help readers reflect on the nature of a citizenry whose individual newcomer histories, represented by the Statue of Liberty, have shaped a nation whose freedom still rings in many hearts around the world.

[Kennedy Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told by the point of view of a young girl, this book tells the story of her and her brother traveling to America. It starts out with the young girl talking about her with her grandmother. This young girl and her brother are sent on a ship that is headed to America. Their parents and sister are waiting for them in New York, but it will take a long time to get there. The children finally make it to America, and their parents are waiting for them happily. The book then ends with the young girl talking about her with her grandmother again.

This book would be great to teach third to fifth grade about storytelling. Also, it is great to be used to teach about those who had to travel to America on a boat and the struggles they encountered every day. Not everyone was born in America and this book is a great way to teach about that.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Watch the Stars Come out" by Riki Levinson is a historical fiction picture book of Ellis Island. It recounts the story of a grandmother who traveled to Ellis Island which was wrought with hardships. The illustrations are detailed and beautiful, and would be a great talking point, if used in the lesson. This story is geared towards younger kids, however it would necessitate a lot of front-loading knowledge and historical events to ensure kids get the most of out. I gave this story 3/5 stars because I thought the story line was a bit dry, there wasn't a lot of emotion or points of great interest.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another title I searched for in our library, but had been weeded. I needed this book for our "Immigrant Experience" lesson. Thankfully, I was able to obtain a copy quickly through interlibrary loan.

This is a valuable title about how many children were and still are left behind in the immigrant quest for a better life. Naomi loved this Reading Rainbow selection about the relationship between the siblings and their journey to reunite with their parents. If you find the Reading Rainbow Library edition, there are wonderful extension activities included.

[Alexandria Mizell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute and talks about migrating to America long ago. There is a little girl being told a bedtime story from her grandpa about what it was like for her grandmas mom to come to America. It felt like there were no true hardships about coming to America and I feel like there is more that could have been said about their trip. The only hard thing the main character came across was not seeing her mama, papa, and sister and a woman died of seasickness. The illustrations are definitely more to talk about than the story itself. The illustrations were soft and easy to follow.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl listens to her grandma tell a story that her mom told her. It was the story of how her mom got to America on a boat with her big brother. The two children traveled to see their parents and older brother who were already in America waiting for them. Referencing Liberty and Ellis islands, the two siblings land and are reunited with their family, resulting in the little girl now, generations later, being able to listen to her grandma tell her stories before bed in America.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story told by a little girl of how she and her older brother came to America on a ship. How they came by themselves and the lady that was suppose to watch them died. How her brother kept track of the days by putting a mark on a stick so almost a month on the ship. They did end up getting to America and to their parents and older sister.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tale of immigration across the ocean from their native country, and through Ellis Island and how a little girl's great-grandmother came to America during the 1800's.

[Hannah Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helps children understand what it was like for immigrants who came to America.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The two "I" narrators confuse me. I don't know how much the story means without context. I do like the details in some of the pictures.

[McKayla Ricketts]

This book was about a little girl listening to a story from her grandma. The grandma told a story about her coming over to America as a little girl and what she experienced.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pictures show the variety of emotions. Read this through Reading Rainbow.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story of a young girl and her big brother on their journey to America on a ship.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a young girl the journey to America is rough.

[Mason King · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great picture book about how everything looks beautiful no matter how hard the struggle.

[Danielle Wrasman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for cross cultural literature class for the theme family stories. This story is about a grandmother telling her granddaughter about her own mother's coming to America. As an immigration story goes, it is filled with many stereotypical experiences, such as a big boat, seeing the Statue of Liberty, and going to Ellis Island. It is touching that in the story the grandmother is passing down the story. However, from a multicultural point of view, it would be nice to know where the family immigrated from. They are described and illustrated as having red hair and pale skin, but other than that, no description is given. It could be that the author wanted to make the story more accessible by not specifying the origin, but this immigration tale does not belong to every person, so I think as a reader I would have liked to know where they immigrated from. Other than that it is touching how the granddaughter makes a connection with her great grandmother who was at peace when she moved to America and could still watch the stars come out at night, just like the granddaughter liked to do when she was being told bedtime stories.

[Josiahpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch the Stars Come Out” is a story about a small girl and her brother traveling to America. It is taken from the perspective of a grandmother telling her granddaughter about her journey to America. The girl and her brother were living with her aunt and little brothers in Europe. They are separate from their older sister and parents who are already in America. The book basically highlights their tumultuous journey to America and their journey through Ellis Island to be reunited with their parents. I feel like it is related to my topic because it addresses the immigration process I had to go through even though it is based in another time period. It is a historical fiction and it is geared towards children in the third grade on reading level. I feel the book is a good way to express the topic without being overbearing. I feel like it is a quality book because it is factual as well as shows the immigrant experience without being stereotypical and demeaning.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl loves to hear stories about her great-grandmother. This great-grandmother had red hair and loved to watch the stars come out just like the little girl. Her favorite story is about great-grandmother's journey to the United States. She traveled on a boat with her ten-year-old brother. Their parents and sister were already in America. They had to sleep deep in the ship, and she could not watch the stars come out at night. The first night in her new home, great-grandmother lies in bed and watches for the stars. After the little girl hears the story she decides to watch for the stars too.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved her going to grandma's house book, so was excited when I came across this one and recognized the art work. Cute story and love the same cute characters. It's a sweet story about generational relationships, family history, and the heritage of those who have come to America.

[kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

No matter where you roam, even if it is so far away that you make a new home - some things never change

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

memoir study book - another bland story about a family immigrating to America

[Kixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of one family's trip to America by boat and through Ellis island. Beautiful colored pencil illustrations.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice book about immigrating to the United States.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Rainbow: Watch the Stars Come Out.
Bea hadn't learned about this subject so she was fascinated by this story.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story about immigration, my students are attentive when I read it, but not as interested as some other stories I've read.

[Ricci · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story for kids about immigration.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom and Jacob rates this 4 stars and Ellie 3 stars

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good first person children's biographical type story of early US immigration. I haven't yet been able to determine whether this is based on a true story. Lavar Burton on Reading Rainbow says it is.