A loving father carves carousel horses that represent members of his family as he saves money to bring them from Europe to America. This book is a work of historical fiction based on the stories of Jewish woodcarvers who came from the Old Country and turned their talents to carving carousel horses on Coney Island. "The team who created Mendel’s Accordion (2007) offers another historical picture book celebrating the Jewish immigrant experience. Feivel leaves his wife and four children behind in the Old Country when he comes to New York. A wood carver by trade, he is hired to create carousel horses for a Coney Island amusement park. Thinking of the family he has left behind, Feivel fashions steeds for his wife and children, inscribing each masterpiece with a name. Van der Sterre’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations offer a pleasantly nostalgic look at life in New York’s Lower East Side and Brooklyn’s Coney Island during the late 1800s. The scenes are rich with street details and the beautifully crafted horses. An appended note explains about several real eastern European Jewish synagogue ark carvers who found work in the U.S. as carousel carvers. Slightly older audiences will also enjoy Deborah Lee Rose’s The Rose Horse (1995), which touches on the carousel carvers and is set in Coney Island’s Jewish community of the early twentieth century." -- Booklist "As the chief apprentice in Mr. Nathanson's Coney Island carousel shop, Feivel lovingly remembers his wife and children in the old country as he designs and carves wooden horses. He creates a glorious horse with a long, golden mane for his wife, Goldie; a proud, regal beast for his eldest son, Hershel; a gentle creature whose bridle is etched with deer for his son Shmuel; a lively and graceful horse adorned with flowers and ribbons for his daughter Sasha; and a beautiful pony ornamented with hundreds of glittering glass jewels for his baby, Lena. By the time the carousel is complete, Fievel has earned enough money to bring his family to America. When they are finally reunited, the happy family rides the carousel together. The historical note details the contributions of eastern European Jewish immigrants, once wood carvers of synagogue arks and Torah scrolls, who used their talent to create magnificent carousel horses enjoyed by generations of children. Watercolor illustrations with ink lines illustrate the immigrant experience on New York's Lower East Side in the late 1800s and help bring to life the magic of Coney Island. Like this team's Mendel's Accordion (Lerner, 2007), this story celebrates the richness of the Jewish American experience. " -- School Library Journal Heidi Smith Hyde is the director of education of Temple Sinai in Brookline, Massachusetts. Her books include  Feivel's Flying Horses , a National Jewish Book Award Finalist, and Mendel's Accordion , winner of the Sugarman Award. Johanna van der Sterre studied illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design From her cozy little home in upstate New York, she crafts her painting with ink line and watercolors. Johanna lives with her husband, Joseph, and two very bouncy dogs, Ernie and Rudy. She is the award-winning illustrator of Mendel's Accordion. Used Book in Good Condition