Silver at Night

Silver at Night, Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Crown Publishers, Inc., New York, 1994, p. 30. Picture book.

Book Summary: Massimino emigrates from Italy to work in the coal mines of turn-of-the-century America and slowly saves enough silver to pay the passage of his fiancée.

This book was so full of hope, it was a joy to read. Even though Massimino is alone and the days and months are long, he has such a positive attitude about living in America, about having a home and a farm, and about bringing his fiancée to be with him even though he has to work long days in the coal mines to earn the money for his dreams. I liked the imagery of “gold in the morning and silver at night” because it represented the sun and the moon. And the silver at night also represented the money Massimino earned at the end of each day.