The Long Way to a New Land

I'm a second-generation American, so I used this book to help my kids understand the immigration of their great-grandmother, especially relevant since we just spent Christmas with her. The time frame is earlier than Gramma's trip, but the desperation and the determination were right-on. I thought this book did a great job describing some scary things without totally freaking children out. And yet, my kids clearly understood how out-of-control the parents in this story felt all through their journey. The reading level is just right for this book -- excellent level 3 reader. ps -- it's so nice to read an early reader that isn't about Thomas the Train, Tinkerbell, or Star Wars!

This a good book for beginning readers and acquaints them with the history of the United States Flag. It is not too "stuffy" for them to enjoy.

Oh my gosh! I am so excited to have found this book! I used to read this when I was in grade school. (I am now 27.) I remember checking it out of the library on a regular basis along with 'Wagon Wheels'. I love the illustrations as well. I'm buying them both A.S.A.P.!

The Long Way to a New Land and The Long Way Westward are companion books that chronicle a family's journey from their Swedish farm, which is suffering from an extended drought, to a new home in Minnesota. The books describe the difficulty and dangers of the journey in a way that is non-complaining and full of optimism for a new life in America. Teachers, these books are wonderful for integrating with other subjects and topics, such as immigration, westward expansion, steamships, trains, geography, and American life in the 1860s.