This book was had a very interesting cover picture which is why I picked it. On the cover there was a young boy and girl looking angrily at each other while people are fighting behind them. I thought this cover looked very interesting and was excited to read the book. The setting was first in Poland, Ireland, and in america. The book depicted Ireland and Poland looking almost identical to each other. The pictures were of green grass with a cabin on it and a farmer looking disappointing at the ground. The book kept going back and forth from Ireland to Poland showing me that in both cases there were families that were struggling to live due to their low SES in both Poland and Ireland. Then both families take a boat to America, where they can work on railroads. The setting when they arrived to America looked depressing. The book shows a gloomy night with many factories with smoke coming out of them. This gave me a sense that they were sad going to america because it was much less beautiful than the pictures of their homes. The women's hair scarves and attired also gave me a better understanding of the setting because nowadays women do not all wear head scarves. The setting in their homes in America looked like ghettos. The buildings were old and dusty . The setting definitely impacted my understanding of how they were feeling in America versus how they were feeling in their countries. ( )

Keara and Stefan hark from two very different lands; Ireland and Poland. When hunger pushes them out of their lands and into Pinecone Patch, Pennsylvania, the two learn that the Polish and Irish are enemies. As kids, they tortured each other. As the monotony of life wears them down, their kindness shows through. Soon, the two fall in love, despite the town’s protests. Together, with their love, the two break down the barriers of prejudice.

Personal reaction:
Being a fiery, Irish red head, I love to read stories with strong heroines. I enjoyed how Yezerski set the scene by contrasting each character and their countries first. Then, he brings the two together by talking of their similarities and love for each other.

Classroom Extension:
1. Talk to the students about how many immigrated to the United States. Have the students research their own roots. Things to include are traditional dances, music, cuisine, and customs.
2. At the wedding, the Polish guests wanted to eat potato dumplings and the Irish wanted to eat potato pancakes. Split the class into groups of four. Give each group a recipe for either pancakes or dumplings. Have the students work with the fractions and measuring cups to reinforce adding fractions as they double the recipe. Afterward, cook the pancakes and dumplings and allow the students to share them. ( )

When Keara Buckley, her mother and father, and her five older brothers, are driven from their beloved Ireland by the Great Famine, they immigrate to America, where they eventually find themselves in the dreary Pennsylvania mining town of Pinecone Patch. It is to this same town that Stefan Pazik and his widowed father come, having left their native Poland when bad harvests and unscrupulous landlords made it impossible to earn a living. Settling into rival Irish and Polish neighborhoods, Keara and Stefan grow up as ethnic "enemies," until one day - so tired out from the ceaseless labor of their adult lives - they unexpectedly find themselves having tea...

A lovely little "Romeo and Juliet" type tale for the picture-book set, Together in Pinecone Patch is also a perceptive exploration of the themes of immigration, ethnic tension, and the transcendent power of love - its ability to bridge barriers, and transform the drudgery of everyday life. My own mother is half Irish, half Polish, so I was quite taken with this tale of a "mixed" marriage, but I think most readers will respond to its story of love triumphing over prejudice. Yezerski's illustrations are appealing, capturing the beauty of both ancestral homelands, and the dismal atmosphere of Pinecone Patch. They are also quite humorous upon occasion, as when, in the church scene, the Polish and Irish contingents shake their fists at one another. ( )