Grandfather's Journey

Book: Say, A. (1993). Grandfather's journey. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Summary:           This is a delightful story about a young Japanese man’s overseas journey and how he fell in love with America, but never forgot his homeland. His love of both countries kept him traveling back and forth until WWII. The man’s grandson left Japan for a new life in America.

Impression:            The illustrations are gorgeous and clearly depict the people in the story. The affection that the grandfather has for his grandson is really touching. The author/illustrator pays attention to detail in clothing, architecture and landscapes. A sense of wonder in Japanese and American culture is conveyed through the beautiful colors and landscapes showing.             I think this is an excellent story to show kids that they can appreciate more than one culture and country. The author acknowledges WWII and the destruction. He admits to playing soldier as a child, but avoids any reference to the Japanese buildup of the war. Instead he focuses on the emotional sadness of the destruction after the war. This is his story to tell, too. It’s seeing the war through an eyes of a Japanese child.

Library Use:            I would use this story for early elementary students. Before I read the story I would show a world map and ask students to identify Japan and the US. I would point out the distance between the countries and the ocean that separates them. After reading we could discuss what the grandfather liked about both countries and make a comparison chart. The kids might be surprised to see similarities. Where did the grandfather feel most at home? Then we would make an origami bird and talk about the Japanese hobby of origami.