Life on a Famine Ship : A Journal of the Irish Famine 1845-1850

by Crosbie, Duncan

• ISBN13: 9780764160042
• ISBN10: 0764160044
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-01
• Publisher: B E S Pub Co

Summary

Here, in words and pictures—including imaginative pop-up illustrations—is the story of the Irish potato famine of the 1840s, and the resulting hardship that caused widespread death and eventual emigration of thousands of Irish from their homeland. Seeking a better life, those who could make the journey fled to America, Canada, England, Australia, and New Zealand. This book’s imaginative use of paper engineering shows household interiors in an Irish country village, a typical sailing ship that carried Irish from their homeland, and other fascinating details that illustrate nineteenth-century Irish life. The story is told from the point of view of Michael O’Connor, a nine-year-old boy who, with his family, endures many hardships before arriving in America. This volume is designed in a form to suggest Michael’s scrapbook. It’s filled with facts and true-to-life details of the O’Connor family’s journey on the famine ship Dunbrody. A feature at the end of the book gives brief biographical sketches of many famous Americans of Irish background. Color illustrations on every page.