Now 2023 Previous Articles Road Essays Road Reviews Author Black Authors Title Source Age Genre Series Format Inclusivity LGBTA Portfolio Artwork WIP

Recent posts


Month in review

Reviews
Amelia Peabody's Egypt by Elizabeth Peters
Angelina on Stage by Katharine Holabird
Arthur and the Invisibles by Luc Besson
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search Part 1 by Gene Luen Yang
Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison
Cardboard by Doug TenNapel
The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer
The Cats on Ben Yehuda Street by Ann Redisch Stampler
Daisy's Defining Day by Sandra V. Feder
The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters
Don't Forget the Bacon! by Pat Hutchins
Emile by Tomi Ungerer
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
The Grilling Season by Diane Mott Davidson
Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 2: Research by Thomas Siddell
A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley
Let's Meet a Librarian by Gina Bellisario
The Monstore by Tara Lazar
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs by Tomie dePaola
Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa by Shonto Begay
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Pie by Sarah Weeks
Pippi in the South Seas by Astrid Lindgren
Ruth Fielding in the Saddle by Alice B. Emerson
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
Tough Cookie by Diane Mott Davidson
The Viper's Nest by Peter Lerangis
Yoga For Cats by Traudl Reiner

Other Stuff
Canadian Book Challenge 7

Previous month


Rating System

5 stars: Completely enjoyable or compelling
4 stars: Good but flawed
3 stars: Average
2 stars: OK
1 star: Did not finish

Reading Challenges

Canadian Book Challenge: 2023-2024

Beat the Backlist 2023

Artwork
Chicken Art



Privacy policy

This blog does not collect personal data. It doesn't set cookies. Email addresses are used to respond to comments or "contact us" messages and then deleted.



Grandfather's Journey: 07/23/13

cover art

Allen Say's picture books are always somewhat autobiographical. Grandfather's Journey is no different as it tells of his grandfather's life in the United States and his return to Japan.

As a young man, Allen's grandfather traveled to the United States. Through odd jobs he worked his way across the country. Says gorgeous paintings show his grandfather against many different American landmarks and landscapes. My favorite shows the small figure of his grandfather against the massive shapes of Monument Valley.

Later though, the grandfather had settled in San Francisco. He married and the had a daughter (Say's mother). Being a parent changes one, makes one nostalgic. He made the decision to move back to Japan. It was there that Say was later born and raised.

Say's story isn't just a biography of his grandfather. It is also an exploration of life and death and that sense of home. Say like his grandfather, calls both Japan and California his home. He says that bouncing homesickness as he travels has made him understand his grandfather and miss him.

Grandfather's Journey is a good introduction to different pieces of recent history. It also could be used to enhance a geography lesson or a genealogy one.

Five stars

Comments (0)


Lab puppy
Name:
Email (won't be posted):
Blog URL:
Comment:




Twitter Tumblr Mastadon Flickr Facebook Facebook Contact me

1997-2023 Sarah Sammis