Words of Welcome

Words of Welcome Synopsis

From an award-winning picture book team, Words of Welcome is the story of poet and advocate Emma Lazarus, who wrote the famous poem engraved on the Statue of Liberty, and how that statue became a symbol of hope, freedom, and opportunity

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . ."

Before her words were engraved on the bronze plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty, Emma Lazarus was a talented yet underappreciated poet. She was a staunch advocate for the oppressed, especially immigrants and New York City's newly arrived Jewish community.

Discrimination was rampant. Lazarus used her writing to fight for those being persecuted and eventually wrote her most famous poem of belonging, "The New Colossus" (1883), which welcomes immigrants to their new home in the United States. Every visitor to Ellis Island can still read her words today.

Written by Emmy Award-winning journalist and two-time Sydney Taylor Honor-winning author Elisa Boxer and illustrated by Selina Alko, a National Jewish Book Award winner, and Sydney Taylor Honor winner, this powerful picture book biography is the story of Emma Lazarus and how she gave Lady Liberty a voice, allowing her to be a beacon of hope for all people.