AMERICAN TOO
by Elisa Bartone & illustrated by Ted Lewin
From the same team behind Peppe the Lamplighter (1993), another moving tale of Italian immigrants on Mulberry Street. Rosina thinks she must shed her Italian ways to be really American. She insists that her parents call her Rosie, and she changes her doll's name from Allesandra to the good ``American'' name of Meghan O'Hara. While her family speaks Italian, waving their hands around, Rosie sits on her hands and answers in English. And when Papa tells her that she'll be the queen of the feast of San Gennaro, she storms, ``Why do we always have to do Italian things? This is America, not Italy!'' While gazing at the Statue of Liberty, she has a wonderful idea—a way to be American and Italian, too, a way to have the the best of both worlds. Bartone's prose is tight and well-paced with subtle touches of humor. Lewin's glowing illustrations, carefully researched for historical detail, make Rosie and her surroundings palpable. (Picture book. 5+)