Intersperses facts about immigrants in and immigration to the United States between the years 1892 and 1924 with the fictional experiences of twelve-year-old Lena Martini and her family as they emigrate from Italy in 1906.
Describes some of the unusual animals, birds, insects, and marine life that make their homes in different parts of the world, such as the star-nosed mole, the piranha, and the gecko.