GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY

Say, Allen. 1993. GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin.
ISBN-10: 0395570352

PLOT SUMMARY
Based on his grandfathers life. Allen Say tells a touching story of a man caught between to lives, the one he leaves in Japan and the new one he finds in America. We follow the young man as he leaves the safety of his home and ventures out to a new land full of “enormous sculptures that amaze him’ and huge cities of factories and tall buildings that bewildered and excites him”. After making a home for himself he returns to his homeland to marry. He then returns to America with his bride and lives contently for many years. However, he begins to miss his homeland and returns with his family. While happy with his life in Japan he can not get his adopted home out of his mind and lives the remainder of his life hoping to return one day.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Say’s Caldecott winning picture book gives the reader a personal look at a man torn between two worlds. Rather than focusing solely on the grandfathers story Say incorporates three generations of the family and how they too are torn between two countries. The simple straight forward text tells a lot without distracting from the beautifully done watercolor illustrations. Say has chosen to use sepia colors much like old photographs. This technique helps to give the reader the sense of the past. It is as if the reader is looking through a family photo album listening to someone tell a story. Because this is Say’s family story he has an insider perspective. He has made sure to accurately show the clothing, housing, and landscape of the countries. He has also been sure to depict the characters with the proper facial expressions and skin color both in America and Japan. Overall, this is a lovely story that not only is a wonderful addition to Asian American literature, but a wonderful tool in teaching about immigration and the mix of two cultures.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Amazon.com
Home becomes elusive in this story about immigration and acculturation, pieced together through old pictures and salvaged family tales. Both the narrator and his grandfather long to return to Japan, but when they do, they feel anonymous and confused: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other

From Publishers Weekly
Say transcends the achievements of his Tree of Cranes and A River Dream with this breathtaking picture book, at once a very personal tribute to his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions. Elegantly honed text accompanies large, formally composed paintings to convey Say's family history; the sepia tones and delicately faded colors of the art suggest a much-cherished and carefully preserved family album.


Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Grandfathers-Journey-Caldecott-Medal-Book/dp/0395570352

CONNECTIONS
The following sites include lesson plans and activities.
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/MBD/Grandfathers_Journey1.html
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/profbooks/grandfatherjn.htm