Peppe the Lamplighter

Title: Peppe the Lamplighter

Author: Elisa Bartone

Illustrator: Ted Lewin

Genre: Historical Fiction

Awards: Caldecott Honor

Age Group: 1st–5th

Peppe the Lamplighter finds a family of immigrants in 20th century New York (Little Italy). Peppe is responsible for supporting his family since his mom passed away and his dad is sick. He goes up and down the streets asking shop owners for a job to do, but he gets turned down each time. One day, the lamplighter stopped him in the street and asked him if he would like to fill in for him when he leaves. Ecstatic, Peppe agrees and is so proud to tell his family about his new job. To his surprise, Peppe's father is not pleased. Instead, he is ashamed to have a son lighting lamps. Why did they leave Italy and come to America just so that he could be working on the streets? His sisters tried to encourage him, and Peppe continued lighting the lamps each night until his father's discouragement really got to him. That night, Peppe did not light the lamps and his sister, Assunta, did not come home. Peppe's father discovered the great value in being a lamplighter that night and told him to go light the lamps so his sister would come home. Peppe brought Assunta home and found himself surrounded by his family, his father telling him that he is proud of him.

I would use this book in my classroom for sure! It shares the value in even what many people would consider to be a small, plain, or insignificant job. We need people for all sorts of jobs, big and little, and for them to do their jobs to the best of their abilities! This is an important message for students to hear, not to mention this book is set during a time in America where lots of immigrants from Italy came because of the "American Dream".

I would recommend Peppe and the Lamplighter for 1st-5th grades, because it is important for both the younger and older students to learn about our country's history in engaging ways. This book is one of many that can tell of a time period in America from the perspective of a child. This way, students can relate and better connect to the story. This book's plot is simple yet heavy, as it bears the weight of the maturity that Peppe has to have at such a young age due to his hard circumstances.

A great way to make reading historical fiction fun but informational is to have students become book detectives! You can wrap up the picture book and address it to your students. In groups, students have to search the book for elements of historical fiction (setting, main character, fiction vs. nonfiction characters, places, etc., realistic). Before doing this activity with Peppe the Lamplighter, I would do a little unit on Italian immigration in the 1900s.