A Papa Like Everyone Else — Sydney Taylor

From the author of the beloved All-Of-A-Kind Family books comes a timeless story of a family's struggles and triumphs in early twentieth century Eastern Europe. Mama and her two young daughters, Szerena and Gisella, never thought they would be without Papa for five long years. Ever since he left their small farm in Czechoslovakia for America, they have been waiting for him to send for them. In the meantime, with the help of family and neighbors, Mama and the girls work on the farm. While Szerena wishes for "a papa like everyone else," Gisella can't remember their father, and wishes he had not gone away without them. Finally, the big day arrives, and Mama and the girls leave for America to reunite with Papa. What will it be like to travel on a train and a ship? And what will happen when at last they see Papa? A delightful evocation of Jewish life in the "old world," A Papa Like Everyone Else is the perfect companion to the seminal All-Of-A-Kind Family books.