Grandfather's Journey Review
There really is not much to dislike about any book that Allen Say has had anything to do with. Let's face it, he has been and is one of the best in the business. Likewise, there is very little, if anything, to dislike about the work being reviewed here, Grandfather's Journey. Now the only slight trepidation I had concerning this work was that I noted it was a Caldecott award winner. This is not to say that this is a bad award, heavens no, but I have noted that over the past several years the committee which select the winners seem to have gone into a very "artsy" mode and quite often their selections actually appeal to the adult reader more than they appeal to the kids to whom the work was written for. I am proud to say though that this is not the case here!
This is the story of the author's grandfather, a young Japanese lad who left his home and went out to see the world. He journeyed to the New World; to America. He actually traveled to quite a number of places in this country before he finally settled in California. After travel by train, riverboat, on foot, and by wagon, he was weary and this new place; the Sierra Mountains, Pacific Ocean, San Francisco Bay was perfect. It became more perfect when he met a wonderful girl, fell in love and started a family.
But was all perfect?
I think not! " Home is where the heart is" is a powerful and truthful statement and if the heart is divided equally...hmmmm, this is indeed a perplexing problem!
We have a story here of a young man, a middle aged man and an old man, who is torn between two cultures; to homes, both of which he loves. As Grandfather grew older his longing for his original native land became stronger and he finally took his wife and now grown daughter back to Japan for a visit. As fate would have it, the man and his family were caught up in the tides and horrors of war between the two countries he loves.
To go on would ruin the story but I must say that this is one of the most tender and lovingly written works that I have come across for quite some time now. The art work is something to behold. I was unable to find one picture in the work that did not touch me in some way.
While this is a wonderful work for children, I would certainly and strongly suggest that an adult reader would glean much from its reading. In these days when America is becoming more and more populated with immigrant peoples from around the world, this little work may quite well help in understanding their emotions and to be truthful, their confusion at times.
Well written with simple but beautiful prose, great art work and an extremely touching story. This one is a winner all the way.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
Grandfather's Journey Feature
- ISBN13: 9780547076805
- Condition: New
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Grandfather's Journey Overview
Lyrical, breathtaking, splendid—words used to describe Allen Say’s Grandfather’s Journey when it was first published. At once deeply personal yet expressing universally held emotions, this tale of one man’s love for two countries and his constant desire to be in both places captured readers’ attention and hearts. Fifteen years later, it remains as historically relevant and emotionally engaging as ever.
Grandfather's Journey Specifications
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." Allen Say's prose is succinct and controlled, to the effect of surprise when monumental events are scaled down to a few words: "The young woman fell in love, married, and sometime later I was born." The book also has large, formal paintings in delicate, faded colors that portray a cherished and well-preserved family album. The book, for audiences ages 4 to 8, won the 1994 Caldecott Medal.
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Customer Reviews
To anyone whose family comes from different continents, this book strikes a familiar chord - Bibliothecaire Extraordinaire - Florida
The serious, stiff-looking unnamed young man on the cover of this book embarks on a journey from Japan to America. In the following 32 pages (of which 28 are illustrated) Allen Say gives us an abbreviated glimpse of what becomes of that young man's life, and that of his daughter, and that of his daughter's son. Judging from the dress of the characters and the few clues to current events that occur in the story, one can glean that the story begins in the early 1900s, and that the young man and his wife and child return to Japan in the 1930s; and that the grandson is born in the mid 1930s, and that the grandson goes to California on his own in the mid to late 1950s.
The watercolor renditions of this man's life express a certain solemnity; never once do we see anyone in the illustrations smile or show a trace of emotion. All of the characters in the book also share the same visage, perhaps evidence that they are all immigrants and emigrants at various times in their lives experiencing the same yearning, the same pattern repeating itself from generation to generation. The longing for adventure and experience must run strongly in the genes of grandfather's family.
This story is very familiar to anyone who has lived in two worlds and known what it feels like to pine for home and realize that even when at home, there is something still missing in their hearts.
Beware of the packaging monster! - Qwdw4everyday - Albany, New York USA
Amazon used a box the size of a large dvd player to send this flat paperback! Green!? I dont think so!
A worthy Caldecott! - Judy K. Polhemus - LA
On the title page of "Grandfather's Journey," author Allen Say produces a single image--an origami boat--to signify his title. Just what is Grandfather's journey? A literal trip from Japan to America? Of course, but more. His travels all across America? Yes, then more. His sojourn in California, then his return trip to Japan to re-establish himself there? Oh, definitely, yet more.
What is a man's life, if not a journey? But from where to where? Or is the journey that which transpires in between the origin and the destination? Or does the destination begin the journey? I am a big proponent of considering the artwork that precedes the story. Some illustrators are so clever that they provide clues and foreshadowing, symbols for meaning and direct images for surprises on the pages leading up to the story. Does an illustrator who creates for children really produce such deep meanings? Some do. Allen Say does.
As a librarian I tell my patrons/students always to look at that art, then after finishing the story, go back and look at it again. When I did that, the origami boat just exploded with possibility and all those questions asked above.
Obviously, the narrator is the grandson born after Grandfather had returned to Japan with his wife and daughter. Growing up, he heard the stories of America and he, too, longed to see this land his grandfather loved as his own.
His stories told of his criss-cross travels in exploring this world. Finally, he settled in California, returned to Japan for his childhood sweetheart, raised his daughter in America, then moved back to Japan. World War II abruptly ended his plans to visit America once again.
Funny thing about living in two worlds. When the narrator also moves to America, he misses Japan and must return for visits, and makes this observation: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other."
So what does that origami boat tell us? Travel is illusory? Where can we go but the homestead of our hearts? But what determines our heart's desire? Now, in the moment? Experience, in memory?
What was Grandfather's journey? Such thought-provoking questions and poignant artwork are what make a real Caldecott winner.
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