Grandfather's Journey

Grandfather's Journey

by Allen Say (1993)

1994 Caldecott Medal Winner, ALA Notable Book, Bulletin Blue Ribbon

"The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other."

          Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say shows what draws people to different places, and how someone can love both their homeland and an adopted country simultaneously. The love for both, though, causes an ache that is always there -- and the quality of some of the language and the somber faces of the characters in the book represent this ache. However, this book also represents the joy of place, and Say's photo-realistic watercolor paintings of Japan and the United States are breathtaking. The events in the story and the characters themselves almost are the background for the beauty of places and the feelings that come with them.
          Since I believe Grandfather's Journey focuses so heavily on place I feel like this book is a great starting point for discussions on Japan, America, or immigration. The text is also conducive to verbal or written activities that encourage students to consider what aspects of their city or state still amaze them, and what they would miss if they went somewhere new. Since the book is almost exclusively composed of large watercolor paintings, students could also consider "reading" the book without the text. Is the story the same or different without the text? Are the feelings of place, love, and longing still represented in the art? Do pictures of certain places bring to mind more feelings than can be expressed in words?