Toby Belfer Visits Ellis Island - Rilegato

Toby Belfer enjoys hearing stories from her grandma and learning about her family's Jewish heritage. One day, Gram tells her the story of how and why Toby's great-grandmother's family came to America back around 1904.

The family lived peacefully in a Jewish town in Poland. One day, when an army of soldiers came to town and threatened the people, Toby Belfer's great-grandmother's family decided to leave. They quickly packed their bags and boarded a ship to America. When they arrived, everything was new. They had to stand in long lines with families from all over Europe to be checked for illness and to find out where they would settle. They were nervous about learning English and adjusting to different customs, but excited to start their new lives.

When Toby Belfer hears the story from her grandmother, she is more excited about visiting Ellis Island on her family vacation and seeing for herself the gate that opened up a new life for her family in America.

Gloria Teles Pushker and her character Toby Belfer share a similar childhood. She is a New Orleans native and had the experience of being one of only a handful of young Jewish girls in her neighborhood. Pushker earned a master's degree in education with a concentration in children's literature from the University of New Orleans. She enjoys visiting schools, libraries, and places of worship as a presenter and storyteller, and she combines her education and beliefs in her books for Pelican.

Judith Hierstein has illustrated all of the Toby Belfer books released by Pelican. With a B.A. in art from the University of Iowa, she completes each story with an image. She hopes her contributions encourage children to share in her interest of learning about other cultures through books.

Other Titles in the Toby Belfer Series:
Toby Belfer Never Had a Christmas Tree
Toby Belfer's Seder: A Passover Story Retold
Toby Belfer and the High Holy Days
A Belfer Bar Mitzvah
and Toby Belfer Never Had a Christmas Tree/
Toby Belfer's Seder Audiocassette