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daumari's review against another edition
5.0
I remember this being on Reading Rainbow! I'd also completely forgotten that the grandfather goes BACK to Japan and never returns to the US. Gorgeous art.
kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
A standalone biography of a grandson's remembrances of his grandfather's life that should really get a "6".
In 1994, Grandfather's Journey won the Caldecott Medal, and in 1993, it won the California Book Award Silver Medal for Juvenile.
My Take
It's beautiful yet sad. Say reminisces about his grandfather, his journey to America, his life, and his return to the Japan he misses. Say doesn't stop there, for he continues with his parents, and then to his own experience and feelings.
Beautiful. I know I said it before, but it does bear repeating. The paintings are so gorgeous, and the stories Say writes encapsulate the experience of many immigrants to America, only Say's version has such a lovely peacefulness to it.
The folded paper boat on the title page induced nostalgia when I saw it. That feeling of olden days carries through in the watercolor "photos" Say created as "Grandfather" provides a tour of America, from its plains to trains, the majesty of tall mountains and cities with their factories, from deserts to rivers, as Say slips back into life.
It's a life bridging two cultures, and as Say explains at the end: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other".
The Story
A young man yearns for more and travels to America where he finds that more. A young man who grows older and appreciates what he has and has had.
The Characters
Grandfather is the subject while his grandson, Allen Say, narrates a simple story of what he knows of his grandfather.
The Cover and Title
The cover is subdued in its khaki brown frame of an inset picture with a young grandfather standing in front of the ship's rail with the heaving ocean in the background while he's wearing Western clothes for the first time: a black homburg and double-breasted black coat that comes to his ankles. The title is in white above the picture while the author's name is below.
The title is the journey we all take through life, and this story is Grandfather's Journey.
In 1994, Grandfather's Journey won the Caldecott Medal, and in 1993, it won the California Book Award Silver Medal for Juvenile.
My Take
It's beautiful yet sad. Say reminisces about his grandfather, his journey to America, his life, and his return to the Japan he misses. Say doesn't stop there, for he continues with his parents, and then to his own experience and feelings.
Beautiful. I know I said it before, but it does bear repeating. The paintings are so gorgeous, and the stories Say writes encapsulate the experience of many immigrants to America, only Say's version has such a lovely peacefulness to it.
The folded paper boat on the title page induced nostalgia when I saw it. That feeling of olden days carries through in the watercolor "photos" Say created as "Grandfather" provides a tour of America, from its plains to trains, the majesty of tall mountains and cities with their factories, from deserts to rivers, as Say slips back into life.
It's a life bridging two cultures, and as Say explains at the end: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other".
The Story
A young man yearns for more and travels to America where he finds that more. A young man who grows older and appreciates what he has and has had.
The Characters
Grandfather is the subject while his grandson, Allen Say, narrates a simple story of what he knows of his grandfather.
The Cover and Title
The cover is subdued in its khaki brown frame of an inset picture with a young grandfather standing in front of the ship's rail with the heaving ocean in the background while he's wearing Western clothes for the first time: a black homburg and double-breasted black coat that comes to his ankles. The title is in white above the picture while the author's name is below.
The title is the journey we all take through life, and this story is Grandfather's Journey.
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
5.0
Allen Say tells the deeply personal story of his grandfather, who toured America, coming to love the country enough to live there, which somehow sparked the desire to see his home country of Japan once more. A story of longing and belonging, echoed in Say's own life, living now in California and returning to Japan when memories of his childhood draw him back.
This book beautifully portrays the landscapes of the Americas, very effectively conveying why Say's grandfather loved the country.
While this book is unlikely to become a favorite for most children--simply because the material is so sedate--it would be a perfect choice for any school unit about the immigrant experience.
This book beautifully portrays the landscapes of the Americas, very effectively conveying why Say's grandfather loved the country.
While this book is unlikely to become a favorite for most children--simply because the material is so sedate--it would be a perfect choice for any school unit about the immigrant experience.
bekah_'s review against another edition
4.0
This is a story that talks about the narrator’s grandfather’s and the journey from Japan to America. The illustrations show what the grandfather’s journey and stay in American and Japan was like. It was very interesting. It follows the grandfather, then the narrator’s mother and then the grandson, the narrator, who himself goes to America because of the stories his grandfather told him. He felt closer to his grandfather. It would be a good story to talk about with students about how their families came to America and what is their ancestor stories. Or to talk about how different groups at different times had different journeys to America.
swtmarie's review against another edition
3.0
Beautifully illustrated story of a Japanese family's life in America and Japan. This was a touching and personal tribute of one family's life and cross-cultural experiences.
litwitchcore's review against another edition
4.0
Grandfather’s Journey is a picture book that acts as an illustrated “photo album” of photoreal images telling the story of the author’s (Allen’s Say) grandfather, who came from Japan to explore America. This journey includes seeing the natural beauty and man-made wonders of the U.S., meeting people of different races and backgrounds, meeting his wife, and having a child. The book takes an interesting thematic twist after this, changing from a typical immigrant story to his grandfather missing his home country, and returning. While he loves his home, he begins to miss America again, emphasizing a common feeling immigrants may feel of loving and missing whichever country they aren’t currently in, feeling stretched and yearning between the two.
This book was fantastic and interesting, and definitely a good one for learning about immigrant experiences. I wouldn’t use this for elementary honestly, as I feel it’s not colorful enough to engage them at that level, but definitely for history or ELA classes discussing immigrant experiences. I would use this as a class read-aloud, then have some thinking questions that students write on, for example:
What stories have you heard about your grandparents' youth?
What types of journeys were really happening in the book?
How were the grandfather and grandson connected?
Do you know people who have immigrated from other countries to the U.S.? What positive and negative experiences did they describe?
This book was fantastic and interesting, and definitely a good one for learning about immigrant experiences. I wouldn’t use this for elementary honestly, as I feel it’s not colorful enough to engage them at that level, but definitely for history or ELA classes discussing immigrant experiences. I would use this as a class read-aloud, then have some thinking questions that students write on, for example:
What stories have you heard about your grandparents' youth?
What types of journeys were really happening in the book?
How were the grandfather and grandson connected?
Do you know people who have immigrated from other countries to the U.S.? What positive and negative experiences did they describe?
mellenwood's review against another edition
3.0
Genre: Historical fiction
Grade Level: 3-5
This is a good book. It shows the love of country and the cultural struggles that immigrants face. It also shows how life in different cultures work.
Grade Level: 3-5
This is a good book. It shows the love of country and the cultural struggles that immigrants face. It also shows how life in different cultures work.
cstoeger's review against another edition
Embracing Japanese and American cultures.
beths0103's review against another edition
4.0
I completely understand Allen Say and his grandfather's feeling of having your heart in two countries and feeling a sense of longing for the other country whenever you're not there.