New Hope

by Henri Sorensen

Jimmy loves to visit his grandpa in New Hope, and never tires of hearing the story of Lars Jensen, Jimmy's great-great-great grandfather. Newly arrived from Denmark, Lars founded the town of New Hope when a broken axle kept him from going west. "Family and place are intertwined in a handsome chronicle about the history of a small town....An immensely appealing book."--Horn Book.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction

30 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 1995

Reviews

[Abani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved this book since I was a kid. The illustration and the story, both are amazing work of art. I would recommend anyone to get this for their children. It provides strong message of how a tiny hope can create a huge impact.

[Josiahpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

New hope is about the story or how a small boy asks his grandfather about his families’ immigration experience and how their experience shaped them starting a new town. The boy’s family ends up going to New York and then migrating to Minnesota in search of a place to settle and how a broken wagon ends up changing their lives and the lives of many other people in the town of New Hope. The grandpa creates a ferry across the river and that helps to create the town of New Hope. I chose this story because it shows how little circumstances can change the future and the big impact that immigrant families play on the development of this country. This runs congruent to my story because my family moved to a new country as well and faced the challenges of building from scratch. We also had an impact on the community we lived in. this book is in my opinion developmental appropriate to read out loud to kids because it does not go over the top and its vivid pictures would remind children of their own immigrant experience. I feel like it is a quality book because it is written by someone with insider knowledge on the topic and would give a accurate depiction on immigration.

[Rebecca Sherod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells a story within a story. It begins with a little boy visiting his grandpa in a town called New Hope. While walking along the street, his grandfather tells him the story of the statue of a man that is in the park. The story goes into detail about a family moving to America and eventually starting a town.
The unique concept of having a story within a story sets this book apart from other coming to America stories. The simple design and layout of the book, featuring full spread pictures helps the reader imagine what is going on without getting too distracted. The almost painted looking images enhance the plot of the story, but also give it a more ‘old time’ feel. This book does a good job of explaining what life was like in older times and how simple things like towns were started.