Feivel's Flying Horses

Feivel's Flying Horses

Author: Heidi Smith Hyde

Illustrator: Johanna van der Sterre

Genre: Historical Fiction

Major Awards: None

Grade Level: K-3

Summary: This book is about a man named Feivel travels from Germany to go to New York to seek a better life for him and his family. He leaves behind his wife, Goldie, his two sons, Hershel and Shmuel, and his two daughters, Sasha and Lena. In Germany, he was a professional wood carver and made and sold furniture for a living. While in New York, Feivel's cousin, Mikhael, takes him to Coney Island. There, Feival sees a carousel for the very first time and cannot stop staring at the beautifully crafted horses. By the carousel he sees a sign that says "Now Hiring: Professional Wood Carver" and he wastes no time and is hired. He makes five horses, one for each of his family members, giving them characteristics that remind him of them. Finally he makes enough money for his family to come to America and they all ride the carousel that brought them together.

Evaluation: I really, really enjoyed this book! I had no idea that many of the first carousels in America were made by Jewish immigrants. It was a really interesting and heartwarming story that I would love to have in my classroom!

I think this book can be enjoyed by children of many different ages because the pages do not have too many words on them, the story is still interesting, and the illustrations pair with the text so perfectly that it brings the story to life. The only thing I think older readers would have trouble with would be words that we don't see often that are part of the Jewish culture. This would allow them to learn about a new culture and build their vocabulary, however.

I really liked this book and I think it would be a fun read aloud even if there was no lesson to pair with it. It teaches children about a different culture and invites them to use their imagination to place themselves in Feivel's shoes. If I were to pair it with a unit, I would most likely make it part of a cultural week. Students could choose books represented parts of different cultures and find specific vocabulary in books and research it. I also think this book would be great with a social studies lesson about immigration.