Friday, August 5, 2011

Grandfather's Journey


Grandfather's Journey
written and illustrated by Allen Say. 1993. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. (0395570352)

Media: watercolor

Awards and Honors: Bulletin Blue Ribbon; Caldecott Medal Book; ALA Notable Book; Booklist Editors' Choice; Boston Globe/Horn Book Award; Horn Book Fanfare Selection; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year; New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year

Annotation:
Allen Say's tribute to his grandfather and the two lands that he loved- Japan and California.

Personal Reaction:
     Grandfather's Journey is the touching and personal story of Allen Say's grandfather and his life lived between two countries- Japan and the United States. As a young man, Say's grandfather came to the United States, where he admired the beauty and splendor of the country and the cities. He finally settled in California, the place that he liked best. He crossed the Pacific again to marry his childhood sweetheart and brought her back to California. There they had a child (Say's mother), but returned to Japan when she was a teenager. She was married in Japan and gave birth to Say, who was raised there. His grandfather grew old in Japan, but always longed to visit California once more. World War II made those dreams impossible, but Allen Say grew up and moved to California- a place that he came to love, just like his grandfather had. Illustrated in beautiful, evocative watercolors, this book speaks to family, home and longing. Say has created a very special book which touches on universal themes

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