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A review by panda_incognito
How My Parents Learned to Eat by Ina R. Friedman
4.0
This classic picture book tells the story of an American sailor and a young Japanese woman who fall in love and must navigate insecurities about their cultural barriers. There's a happy ending guaranteed, since the story's framing device involves their future child telling the reader why they sometimes eat with chopsticks at home, and sometimes with forks and knives.
The story is charming and well-researched, conveying Japanese culture in an inviting way. Both of the characters are immediately relatable, since everyone has felt uncertain at times, wanting to impress someone but feeling insecure about something new. Even though the story involves a romance, there are themes that kids can connect with on a personal basis.
I originally read this book six years ago, and I enjoyed it then, but I liked it even better on a second read. This book made such an impression on me that I still distinctly remembered it, despite the hundreds of picture books that I read per year, and it's just as sweet and meaningful as I had remembered. I would highly recommend this book to mixed-race families who share the characters' cultural backgrounds, and to anyone who wants to read a sweet story about love overcoming cultural barriers.
The story is charming and well-researched, conveying Japanese culture in an inviting way. Both of the characters are immediately relatable, since everyone has felt uncertain at times, wanting to impress someone but feeling insecure about something new. Even though the story involves a romance, there are themes that kids can connect with on a personal basis.
I originally read this book six years ago, and I enjoyed it then, but I liked it even better on a second read. This book made such an impression on me that I still distinctly remembered it, despite the hundreds of picture books that I read per year, and it's just as sweet and meaningful as I had remembered. I would highly recommend this book to mixed-race families who share the characters' cultural backgrounds, and to anyone who wants to read a sweet story about love overcoming cultural barriers.