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Brief Plot SummaryLittle Italy is the story of the Trella family. In 1920 Vito’s land is worn out, and he can’t sell his oranges. Sadly, he leaves his Italian homeland and sails to New York to get work and save enough money to bring his wife, Rosetta, and their three children to America. For more than two years he works as a stonecutter, building the new skyscrapers of New York. It is dangerous work. Finally, he saves enough money for four tickets. Rosetta and their children join him. They make their new life on Mulberry Street in New York’s Little Italy. Rosetta finds the city dirty and depressing at first, but she learns to love her Italian neighbors and her church. They have four more children. Then Vito falls, is injured, and must take a job making paper flowers; the whole family helps. All seven children finish high school and get good jobs. Vito and Rosetta stay in Little Italy. The novel ends as their youngest child, Dominick, graduates from high school with honors.

Brief Plot SummaryDiscussion Questions

Historical Drawings and Photos for DiscussionDetailed Plot SummaryHistorical Background

What Did You Read? – FormBook Report – FormWord Play Activity

Fill in the Blanks Review Activity

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Think about itLittle Italy

Discussion QuestionsChapter 1Hard Times in Italy

1. What do you think of Vito’s plan to go to America first?2. How would you feel about Vito’s plan if you were Rosetta?3. What are some reasons that people leave their home country?

Chapter 2A Ship to America

1. Is it possible to learn a new language in 15 days?2. If you left your home, what would you remember about it?3. Why did Vito feel like an animal?4. What kinds of things will Vito have to deal with in America?

Chapter 3New York

1. Do you have a way to make hard work seem not so hard?2. What does it mean to call someone “chicken”?3. Is there such a thing as “easy money”? Why or why not?4. How hard is it to wait for something you really want? How do you deal with that?

Chapter 4Two Bags

1. What does it mean to carry a bag in your mind?2. Why can two years seem like a long time?3. Do you believe that things turn out for the best?4. What do you think the trip to America will be like for the family?

Chapter 5Across the Ocean

1. Do you like to make friends when you go on a trip?2. What can you do to stay well when you’re away from home?3. What will the family see and feel when they reach New York?

Chapter 6A New Day

1. Why would people feel so good after a hard trip?2. Why do you think that rich people got off the ship without going to Ellis Island?3. What does the Statue of Liberty mean to you? (Look up the poem by Emma Lazarus that is written on the base of the Statue of Liberty.)4. What will happen on Ellis Island?

Chapter 7Ellis Island

1. Why or why not was it fair to send back the sick people?2. What is the most beautiful place you have ever seen? Why was it beautiful?3. Why did the young man ask Rosetta questions?4. Will Rosetta be pleased with her new home?

Chapter 8Together Again

1. What makes a workday seem long or short?2. What does it mean to “make do” with what you have?3. How important is it to make a good home?4. Do you think the Trellas will like “Little Italy”? Why or why not?

Chapter 9Mulberry Street

1. What makes one street different from other streets?2. Why do some people like to buy fresh foods? Can you get fresh foods where you live?3. What does this mean: Birds of a feather flock together.4. Do you think Vito and Rosetta will have more children?

Chapter 10Building a Life

1. When someone makes fun of someone, is that person a bully? What is a bully?2. If you were Dominick’s parent, what would you tell him?3. Is it natural for boys to get into fights?

Chapter 11Lucky to Be Alive

1. Why is language so important?2. What is the most dangerous job you have ever done?3. What do you think will happen to Vito?

Chapter 12Paper Flowers

1. How is Rosetta and Vito’s life different from their life in the old country?2. What do you do when things don’t work out?3. Vito and Rosetta have high hopes for their children. What are your hopes for yourself or your family?

Chapter 13Festa!

1. How do you find good times even when life is hard?2. What is your favorite song or cultural event? Why?3. Would you be glad or sad when your children grew up and left home?4. How do your family members make you proud?

Chapter 14Top of the Class

1. Would you be happy just to give your children a better life?2. Do you believe that hard work pays off?3. Can you name some famous Italian-Americans?4. What are your hopes and dreams?

Little ItalyHistorical Drawings and Photos for Discussion

Italian family on the ferry leaving Ellis Island

The Bombardelli family from Italy arriving in a crowd at Ellis Island

Note: Most of these photos are from the Library of Congress and in the public domaine. Others appear many times without attribution online and thus are in the public domain. You may print them for classroom use.

Italian men arriving in New York by steamship Inspection for pink eye at Ellis Island

Newcomers leaving Ellis Island for New York City

Sidewalk shopping at a fiesta in Little Italy

A First Avenue fiesta in Little Italy

Italian family making paper flowers at the dining room table in Little Italy

Building the Empire State BuildingItalian family making paper flowers

at home in Little Italy

Mulberry Street in Little Italy

Little ItalyDetailed Plot Summary

Vito Trella, the Italian father of three small children, is having trouble selling his orange crop in North America because now, in 1920, Americans are growing their own. In addition, his land is worn out and the area is overpopulated. This, he tells his wife Rosetta Trella, is the time to go to America in search of a better life. Vito will go on ahead of the family. He will send money home for the others to follow. The townspeople bid him farewell, and, sadly, he leaves his homeland. While waiting for his ship in Naples, he buys a book to teach himself English. Like sheep, he and the other passengers are tagged and herded on board. In New York, Vito gets a job as a stonecutter helping to build one of New York City’s new skyscrapers. He spends lonely nights looking forward to the day his family can join him. He works on his English. A coworker, Sal Penta, invites Vito to go out one night. Vito goes, but the place turns out to be a bar and gambling hall. Reluctantly, he joins the game. He has beginner’s luck, but soon he loses all his money. It takes two more years to buy four passages to America for his family. Back in Italy, the children barely remember their father. But at last the tickets arrive. Rosetta sells their possessions and packs two bags. One bag she packs with clothes and food, and the other bag is a make-believe bag “packed” with days gone by and hope for tomorrow. The ocean voyage is difficult for the children, but Rosetta strikes up a friendship with Mrs. Santo, a widow whose eyes are sore and inflamed during the trip. The arrival in New York harbor is dramatic. It is sunrise as Rosetta spots land and the Statue of Liberty. She holds up the children so they can get a better view. She will never forget this welcoming sight. She is awed by the height of the New York skyscrapers. On their arrival, she and the children must first go to Ellis Island, where they are joyfully reunited with Vito. At Ellis Island, they wait in line to be checked in. When the inspector sees Mrs. Santo’s eyes, she is sent back to Italy. Officials check over the Trellas and interrogate Rosetta about her background and intentions. They pass the tests and receive their immigration papers. A boat takes the family to Manhattan. Vito takes his family into the city. Rosetta is amazed at the tall buildings, but she is disappointed by the dirty streets – that are not made of gold, as she has heard. She is further disillusioned by their new home: two tiny, windowless rooms, five floors up, in a dirty tenement. She cleans up the place and hangs sheets to divide up the space. Still, it is hot and dark.

Rosetta is even further disillusioned to see her husband come home every night after a 12-hour day, always dirty and often injured from the dangerous work, but she selflessly makes as good a home as she can for her family. What really matters is that they are in America. Life in New York does have its high points for Rosetta. She gets to know many other Italians at church and in the neighborhood. Indeed, this part of New York is nicknamed “Little Italy,” with its Italian-speaking population, pushcarts selling food and wares in the street, and children playing everywhere. Within five years, Mr. and Mrs. Trella have four more children. Now there are seven: Giuseppe (“Joe”), Felice, Liberta, Pasquale, Guido, Annalia, and Dominick. Vito continues to work in the building trade while Rosetta cares for the children. The couple looks old before their time. There is no money to buy new clothes, so Rosetta patches the old ones to hand down from child to child. The children are always clean and neat; no one would guess they all live in two rooms. One day Dominick comes home with torn clothes; he has been in a fight because some boys made fun of his clothes. Mrs. Trella explains why he must wear old clothes and that she does not want him to get into fights. “Just be the best you can be,” she tells Dominick. Then Vito seriously injures his back in an accident on the job site. Unable to continue in the building trade, he must take work in a sweatshop making paper flowers for very low pay. The family moves into the tenement where the sweatshop is located. Now they have three rooms and two windows. The whole family helps make paper flowers. Rosetta still occasionally unpacks her imaginary bag of memories and hope. She never has occasion to leave Little Italy. At the church festa Mr. and Mrs. Trella talk as they dance. We learn that Felice is married and has a child, Joe lives uptown with his wife, and Pasquale and Guido have joined the building trades. Annalia and Liberta work in a garment factory, and Dominick is soon to finish high school. Mr. and Mrs. Trella dress up to attend Dominick’s graduation in 1958. Dominick is the speaker, and in his speech he praises the contributions of his parents, to have given seven children, who have all finished high school, a better life than they might have had in Italy. That night at home, Mr. and Mrs. Trella reflect on their lives. They decide to stay in Little Italy, and they say their dream has come true: they may have worked hard and remained poor, but they have given their children a better life. They are glad to give that gift.

Little ItalyHistorical Background

Italian immigrants began arriving in the United States around 1820, but

the massive numbers arrived between about 1880 and 1920. Altogether, about

five million Italians settled in America.

The earliest Italian immigrants were from northern Italy. They started

vineyards and truck farms in New Jersey, the Finger Lakes region of upstate

New York, and as far west as California.

Later, most were southern Italians, who left their vegetable and fruit

farms because the soil was not as productive as it once was, because North

America was growing its own produce, because over-population forced farmers

to struggle for a living on small plots of rented land, and simply for better

opportunities. Often, the father would precede the rest of the family, working

until he had made enough money for the others to join him in America.

Italians are among the major groups that entered the United States

during the famous era of the Ellis Island immigration center. The classic

immigrant scene of entering New York harbor to a fine view of the Statue of

Liberty, then being processed (and sometimes rejected) at Ellis Island, is a

memorable chapter in American history.

Once here, most Italians did not have enough money to travel beyond

the cities, especially New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The men had to

switch from agriculture to masonry, stonecutting, and other trades involved in

building skyscrapers and subways, or they became small merchants, barbers,

or tailors. Some did go as far as Pennsylvania, where they worked in coal mines

and steel mills. Many died young as a result of work-related accidents.

The women worked in sweatshops, making garments, and/ or they

cared for their large families, often living in small, hot, dark tenements. Indeed,

the image of the tireless, long-suffering Italian mother, sacrificing all chance for

her own happiness for the sake of her children, is a realistic one.

Italian immigrants relied on their families, churches, and Italian neighborhoods for

strength. The Catholic church taught them to expect little from this life, that their rewards

awaited them in heaven.

It was the second-and third-generation Italian-Americans who experienced the

greater success. Through education, determination, and growth from the enterprises their

immigrant-parents had started, later generations became bankers, lawyers, contractors, food

importers, educators, labor leaders, and government officials.

Name ____________________________________________

What Did You Read? Write the answers to these questions about Little Italy.

1. The ticket man said the streets of America were made _________ 2. Why did Vito Trella go to America first? ____________________ _____________________________________________________ 3. Why was it hard for the Trellas to leave Italy? _______________ _____________________________________________________ 4. Rosetta Trella’s real bag held clothes and food. What was in her make- believe bag? ___________________________________________ 5. What did the Statue of Liberty seem to say to Rosetta? _________ _____________________________________________________ 6. How did the Trellas have better luck than Mrs. Santo at Ellis Island? _____________________________________________________ 7. What did Rosetta find out when she first saw New York City? ____ _____________________________________________________ 8. What did Rosetta try to make out of the two rooms? ______ ______________________________________________________ 9. Why was the neighborhood called Little Italy? ______________ _____________________________________________________10. What did Rosetta tell Dominick to do after the fight? _______ _____________________________________________________11. Why did Vito have to make paper flowers? ______________ _____________________________________________________12. What was Mr. and Mrs. Trella’s gift to their children? ________ _____________________________________________________

Book ReviewBook Title ________________________________________________Student’s Name ____________________________________________The people in this book came from_____________________________I read this book because __________________________________________________________________________________________________Is this book interesting? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________________________ The best part of the story is ________________________________________________________________________________________________The worst part of the story is _______________________________________________________________________________________________My favorite person in the story is ______________________________ because _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________The main thing I learned from this book is that ________________________________________________________________________________ Too many hard words? yes no Examples: ________________________ Too many long sentences? yes no Examples: __________________________________________________________________________________The length of the books is: too long / too short / about rightTell a friend to read this book? yes / no Why? _____________________________________________________________________________

Name ____________________________________________

Word Play: 1 + 1 = 1

In this activity you will see how you can make two sentences into one. Just get rid of the words that are used more than once. Then add the word and. The first exercise is done for you.

1. The door was broken. The door made a cracking sound. ______________________________________________________________

2. The children kissed their father. The children hugged their father. ______________________________________________________________

3. How could he leave behind everything he knew? How could he leave behind everyone he loved? ______________________________________________________________

4. Mr. Trella went to a bar where men were gambling. Mr. Trella lost all his money. ______________________________________________________________

5. Everyone raced to the deck. Everyone hung over the rail to see better. ______________________________________________________________

6. The two little rooms were dirty. The two little rooms were hot. ______________________________________________________________

7. The men sold fruit off their carts. The men sold vegetables off their carts. ______________________________________________________________

8. Dominick graduated from high school. All the other Trella children graduated from high school. ______________________________________________________________

The door was broken and made a cracking sound.

Fill in the BlanksReview Activity

Little Italy is the story of the Trella family. In 1920 Vito’s _____ was

worn out, and he _______ sell his __________. Sadly, he _______ his

Italian homeland and _______ to _____ ______ to get work and save

enough _______ to bring his ______, Rosetta, and their three children

to America. For more than two years he ________ as a stonecutter,

building the new _____________ of New York. It was ___________

work. Finally, he _______ enough money for four ________. Rosetta

and their children ________ him. They made their new life on

Mulberry Street in New York’s Little Italy. Rosetta ______ the city

dirty and depressing at _______, but she learned to ______ her Italian

neighbors and her church. They had four more __________. Then Vito

fell, was injured, and had to take a job making _______ flowers; the

whole family helped. All seven children finished high school and got

good ______. Vito and Rosetta ________ in Little Italy. The novel ends

as their youngest _______, Dominick, ___________ from high school

with honors.

Full text of the fill in the blanksreview activity

Little Italy is the story of the Trella family. In 1920 Vito’s land was

worn out, and he couldn’t sell his oranges. Sadly, he left his Italian

homeland and sailed to New York to get work and save enough money

to bring his wife, Rosetta, and their three children to America. For

more than two years he worked as a stonecutter, building the new

skyscrapers of New York. It was dangerous work. Finally, he saved

enough money for four tickets. Rosetta and their children joined him.

They made their new life on Mulberry Street in New York’s Little Italy.

Rosetta found the city dirty and depressing at first, but she learned to

love her Italian neighbors and her church. They had four more children.

Then Vito fell, was injured, and had to take a job making paper flowers;

the whole family helped. All seven children finished high school and got

good jobs. Vito and Rosetta stayed in Little Italy. The novel ends as their

youngest child, Dominick, graduated from high school with honors.

Answer Key“What Did You Read?” questions are objective in nature; however, in some cases the answers may not be derived from the book verbatim. The answers given below are intended as guidelines to be used in conjunction with the teacher’s judgement that the question has been satisfactorily answered. The answers to the “Word Play” exercise should be exactly as given in this answer key, except where specifically noted.

What Did You Read? 1. of gold 2. to make enough money to buy tickets for the rest of the family 3. because it was home 4. days gone by and hope for tomorrow 5. “Welcome to America.” 6. They passed the tests; Mrs. Santos was sent back to Italy. 7. The streets were not made of gold; the streets were dirty. 8. a home 9. because a lot of Italian people lived there, spoke only Italian, and followed their old ways 10. to be the best he could be 11. because he hurt his back and couldn’t work in the building trade anymore 12. a better life

Word Play: 1 + 1 = 1 2. The children hugged and kissed their father. 3. How could he leave behind everything he knew and everyone he loved? 4. Vito went to a bar where men were gambling and lost all his money. 5. Everyone raced to the deck and hung over the rail to see better. 6. The two little rooms were dirty and hot. 7. The men sold fruit and vegetables off their carts. 8. Dominick and all the other Trella children graduated from high school.