How Many Days to America

How Many Days to America by Eve Bunting, Illustrated by Beth Peck

Picture Book for Children Ages 7-11

4.5 out of 5 stars

After soldiers come calling upon a boy and his family, the father informs his family that they must immediately pack one bag to leave for America due to the disagreement between the family’s beliefs and that of the government. Although the boat ride to America is not an easy one, they are welcomed into America, on Thanksgiving Day, with open arms.

How Many Days to America describes a tale of a family of present day refugees fleeing to America, similar to the way that the Pilgrims first did many years ago. These refugees are from the Caribbean, so their journey, although still hard, is much shorter. Based on the fact that this story has many historical connections, this book represents a good social studies tool, which also makes it a book commonly read from the efferent stance. While reading from the efferent stance, readers will learn reasons why refugees leave their countries to come to the free land of America. They will also learn the hardships faced by these refugees on their journeys. For example, lack of food, being denied entrance into other countries, and strong winds on the sea. According to Louise Rosenblatt’s transactional theory, the reader and the story both contribute to enjoyment of the story. Based on the reader’s previous experiences and his or her own personality, reading this story might stir up some different feelings. Many readers of How Many Days to America may have family members who are refugees of some kind, and this story could have an emotional affect on them because of this fact. Equivalently, students could be reading this story because they are curious about how refugees make the trip to America, similar to that of the Pilgrims. These two different approaches to reading the story represent the way that reading this story is on a continuum from the efferent, information gather, stance, to the aesthetic, reading for emotional reasons, stance.

Eve Bunting’s story How Many Days to America is filled with curriculum connections. First off, this story could be read as an extension from a lesson on the First Thanksgiving as it describes another refugee group’s story and the continual celebration of Thanksgiving. It would be a perfect book to read during the week of Thanksgiving regardless of the current Social Studies unit as well. Lastly, this story could be a pre-reading for a discussion and activity about refugees. Students could make and then discuss reasons of their own as to why they would leave their life behind in one country to move to another. From here a simulation activity could be done representing the hardships of leaving a country in a small boat with limited resources. This activity or lesson should end with a discussion on being thankful for what we have here in America. Using the strong emotions depicted in this story would help the students create a personal connection with the story and hopefully grow from reading the story and participating in the post-reading activities.