Culture 5

Bibliography
Say, Allen. 1993. GRANDFATHER’S JOURNEY. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395570352.

Plot Summary
This is the story of a young man telling the story of his grandfather. As a young man, the grandfather travels from Japan to the United States of America. The grandfather sees many places and loves California the best. He goes home to Japan, and marries his childhood sweetheart. They both return to the U.S.A. and raise a family in San Fransico. He once again misses Japan and moves his family back to Japan. His daughter falls in love and marries a husband. They have a child and this is the grandson who tells the story.

Critical Analysis
This is a well written story with many cultural markers. The story is told through the grandson. He is describing his grandfather’s journey to America. The book begins with the story being told by the grandson. He describes his grandfather as a young man in Japan. On this first page is a portrait of his grandfather in traditional Japanese clothing. On the next page we see a picture of the grandfather wearing European clothing, and the text that goes with it says that this is the first time he wears this type of clothing. As the grandfather travels through America we see pictures of him in various outfits of these time periods. The illustrations of the people look authentic and not stereotypical. The clothes that the people are wearing are reflective of the various time periods and places that they are at. When the people are in America they wear typical American outfits, and when they are in Japan they wear Japanese style clothing. The illustrations are beautiful and add authenticity to the story. The author is also the illustrator. The illustrations are done in watercolors. Each picture is in a framed box and looks like it could be a picture from someone’s photo album. He does not use Japanese words in the text. The entire story is in English. As the story is being told we see the love that the grandfather has for both Japan and America. At the end of the story the grandson has the same feelings for both lands also. The story ends with the grandson saying “The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.”

Review Excerpts
From School Library JournalGrade 3 Up-A personal history of three generations of the author's family that points out the emotions that are common to the immigrant experience. Splendid, photoreal watercolors have the look of formal family portraits or candid snapshots, all set against idyllic landscapes in Japan and in the U.S. (Sept., Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews``The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other,'' observes Say near the end of this poignant account of three generations of his family's moves between Japan and the US. Say's grandfather came here as a young man, married, and lived in San Francisco until his daughter was ``nearly grown'' before returning to Japan; his treasured plan to visit the US once again was delayed, forever as it turned out, by WW II. Say's American-born mother married in Japan (cf. Tree of Cranes, 1991), while he, born in Yokohama, came here at 16. In lucid, graceful language, he chronicles these passages, reflecting his love of both countries--plus the expatriate's ever-present longing for home--in both simple text and exquisitely composed watercolors: scenes of his grandfather discovering his new country and returning with new appreciation to the old, and pensive portraits recalling family photos, including two evoking the war and its aftermath. Lovely, quiet- -with a tenderness and warmth new to this fine illustrator's work. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Connections
Read the following books by Allen Say: Tree of Cranes
Stranger in the Mirror
Discuss what it might be like to live in another country and to love both places. (Some students might already have lived in other countries and can share their stories)
Writer’s Corner- Write stories about their own grandparent’s journey