Grandfather's Journey

Title: Grandfather's Journey
Author and Illustrator: Allen Say
Genre: Multicultural or International

Summary:
This Caldecott winner tells the story of a man from his grandson's eyes. The grandfather in this book was born and raised in Japan. He loved his home land very much but he longed to see the world. One day he left Japan and began his journey across the Pacific to North America. He explored North American by train, riverboat, and foot. He met many people and feel in love with the new world around him. He continuously traveled until one day his journey brought him to California. He had never seen any where so beautiful. It was in California that he decided to make his home. He traveled back to his homeland, Japan, where he married his childhood sweetheart. He then brought his new wife back to America where they had a daughter. He lived in California with his family until his daughter was completely grown. It was at this time that he could no longer cope with his home sickness. He decided it was time to show his daughter the place he and his wife had once called home. It was in Japan that his daughter got married and bore a son. The grandfather wanted more than anything to show his new grandson California. Unfortunately he was unable to do so because of the war going on in their country. The grandfather never got a chance to take his grandson to California. Years later the grandson finally traveled in his grandfather's foot steps to the new world. Like his grandfather, he finally understood what it was like to call two places home.

Making the Connection:
This story is a great window into two very different cultures. When discussing the similarities and differences between America and Japan during this time period, you might have your students practice utilizing graphic organizers (e.g. venn diagrams). Through the books illustrations readers are able to see what the world looked like in the 1930's and 1940's. The illustrations in this book would also be a good example to show students when discussing how pictures enhance a text. This book would also be an awesome way to make connections to your history unit, especially if you were discussing World War II in your class.