In a delightful picture book, Leda Schubert writes Nathan’s Song, a story inspired by her grandfather. Nathan loves to sing from the time he is small. By the time he is sixteen, his parents decide he needs to study in Italy where the best singers are. With the whole family working and saving, he gets enough money for a ticket on a ship and begins his journey. The first big problem comes when he finds out he is on the wrong ship and headed to New York! Singing for his supper on the ship pays his fare, but there are still many obstacles when he arrives in New York. Nathan, with an upbeat attitude, finds work to support himself, a beautiful girl to marry, a chance to sing in a Broadway play, and enough money to bring his family to America.
Maya Ish-Shalom’s brightly colored illustrations reflect the optimistic atmosphere of Leda’s story with a hint of Marc Chagall’s paintings. Choosing which ones to photograph for my blog posed a problem, so I went with pertinent parts of the story. I selected one that pictures the dock and shows how a sixteen-year-old with no travel experience might find himself on the wrong ship. The other portrays what had to have been a high point for this young immigrant as he sings in a Broadway play.
In Leda’s author’s note at the end, she gives the accurate and slightly altered account of her own grandparents and their journey as well as a bit of history about Jewish immigration at the end of the 19th century. This is a delightful picture book made for reading aloud and discussing with children.