Paul Fleischman won the Newbery Medal for Joyful Noise:
Poems for Two Voices and a Newbery Honor for Graven Images. He is
the author of numerous picture books, including The Animal Hedge,
also illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, and The Dunderheads and The
Dunderheads Behind Bars, both illustrated by David Roberts. Paul
Fleischman lives in Maine.
Bagram Ibatoulline has illustrated many acclaimed books for
children, including The Animal Hedge by Paul Fleischman; On the
Blue Comet by Rosemary Wells; The Miraculous Journey of Edward
Tulane and Great Joy, both by Kate DiCamillo; The Serpent Came to
Gloucester by M. T. Anderson; and Hana in the Time of the Tulips by
Deborah Noyes. He lives in Pennsylvania.
[A] sweet story, illustrated alternately in gauzy color for the
pictures of the girl and the old man, sepia-toned images for the
olden days...
—The New York Times Book Review
Writing entirely in dialogue, Fleischman employs a natural and
believable matter-of-fact tone that provides a fresh view of the
immigrant experience, as the humble objects and their stories form
the beginning of a loving bond between the little girl and her
great-grandfather. Ibatoulline’s illustrations, done in acrylic
gouache, are extraordinarily detailed and expressive. Modern scenes
appear in warm, amber-toned colors, while framed sepia vignettes
depict past memories as if part of a family album. Captivating and
powerful.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Small-scale objects tell a large-scale, European coming-to-America
story in this beautiful offering from two celebrated children’s
book creators...An excellent title for sharing and discussion, this
will resonate with the many kids who will recognize how small,
ordinary things can become treasures.
—Booklist (starred review)
Fleischman’s voice for the girl’s great-grandfather is instantly
engrossing, free of self-pity and resonant with resilience and
gratitude. Ibatoulline...is in equally fine form: his characters’
emotionally vivid faces speak of hard lives and fervent dreams, and
his sepia-toned scenes never lapse into sentimentality. A powerful
introduction to the American immigrant story, and fine inspiration
for a classroom project.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Ibatoulline’s sepia-toned illustrations beautifully express this
immigrant’s tale from Italy to Ellis Island and the start of a new
life...This lovingly crafted picture book tells an amazing story
that is uniquely American. Through unsentimental, yet warm and
touching dialogue, Fleischman successfully shares a powerful
journey that captures the hardships, self-reliance, strength, and
simple joys that characterized early immigrants. It provides an
inspirational introduction to the immigration story that captures
the humanity of the journey.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
This is a thoughtful reminiscence and shows a loving
intergenerational relationship... The book will work well with
older audiences or studies of immigration and memories.
—Library Media Connection
The illustrator Bagram Ibatoulline can create images so exquisitely
realistic that they could be mistaken for photographs. The
remarkable verisimilitude of his work is on beautiful display in
the sepia-toned pages of THE MATCHBOX DIARY...Though migration can
be a sentimental subject, there is nothing mawkish in this fine
story of aspiration and human dignity.
—The Wall Street Journal
This poignant immigrant story comes alive through the details a man
shares with his great-granddaughter, triggered by mementos he has
safeguarded in his matchbox collection.
—Shelf Awareness
Rich and thoughtful, a beautifully crafted ode to those who those
who came to America early in the 20th Century.
—Midwest Book Review
[A] beautiful stor[y] about immigrant heritage...
—Newsday
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