Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty

This is a lovely little book. After reading the one I bought for my children's books bookcase, I promptly ordered two more, one as a gift for my brother and the other to donate to my grandchildren's school library.

Many of us can likely recite, "Give me your tired, your poor, your hud­dled mass­es yearn­ing to be free." We know these to be the words inscribed on a plaque on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. But do you have any idea about the inspiration for those words? I certainly did not, until I read Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀Emma Lazarus, the poet behind those favorite words, grew up wealthy in New York City. A visit to the entry port of Ward's Island, however, had a profound effect on Emma, leaving her yearning to do more for these immigrants, who were mainly Jewish (as was Emma) and had been treated so poorly in their home countries that they came to America, hoping for a better life.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀As is all too common, however, these immigrants found acceptance in America hard to come by, and Emma wanted to change that. Using the power of her poetry, she wrote these welcoming words as a part of a campaign to earn money for said pedestal, but her words made a much greater impact on all Americans ever since.

I love this book. We checked it out at the library and I knew it must be a permanent addition to our home library. It’s about Emma Lazarus’ poem that made the Statue of Liberty the symbol of what it is today. My most favorite part of the book was that it painted a realistic picture of what it was like for immigrants then, and how Emma cared for their needs and saw their suffering. She had compassion and worked hard to change other people’s hearts and minds, to see the humanity of people fleeing danger and persecution.I think this book can speak to children’s hearts, to help them understand compassion, kindness and standing up for those who are facing sickness, poverty and persecution (here and abroad). Emma used her gifts (writing, advocating) and her means (providing food, help, etc) to assist people arriving in New York. To me this book gives me hope that especially in these times America can find a way to be a safe harbor for those that ask it of us. Emma was not afraid, she was brave, not for herself but out of love for others. Great read and would be perfect to read alongside a trip to the Statue of Liberty with kids or an introduction to the Statue of Liberty.

I bought this to read to my children in preparation for their first trip to NYC. The illustrations were beautiful and the message was inspiring. My 6 year old enjoyed it, though it was a little over my 3 year old’s head.

Beautiful story and pictures. My granddaughter loves it

No weakness, nothing to like 'only a little'. One of the most beautiful illustrated books I own, and the subject is meaningful and valuable to the average American, with Emma's poem included at the end.

My granddaughter enjoyed reading this book. She learned a lot about the meaning of the Statue of Liberty

Gives you the story behind the poem and is a great for close reading and writing in the classroom. So much to pick apart and talk about with immigration at the time.