Memoir: Grandfather's Journey

Gorgeous artwork surrounds this beautiful story of Grandfather’s Journey from Japan to the United States.  Allen Say recounts the tale of his grandfather’s love for exploring and beginning life in a new country, while longing for life back home in Japan.  In North America, Say’s grandfather explores and appreciates the new land full of sculptures, farm fields, factories, tall buildings, mountains, and rivers, eventually settling in California.  The author tells the story in simple, elegant language describing his grandfather’s bittersweet departure back to Japan, where he then longs for life back in California.  This book provides a culturally relevant perspective, describing the journey of leaving one’s own country to travel to a new land.  Providing diverse perspectives, teachers can use this text for critical literacy conversations in the classroom and to spark deeper discussion with students.

Say describes his own voyage, following in his grandfather’s footsteps, telling a beautiful memoir that concludes with the author’s own journey to the U.S., describing his same love for both countries with, “The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.”  In clear, simple language, Say recounts his important family history, filled with emotion and a quiet understanding of how his grandfather must have felt.  Students of all backgrounds may draw connections from Say’s story and relate their own experiences to his memoir.  His writing made me want to further explore my own family history.  Winner of the 1994 Caldecott Medal, I can see why Say’s story, beautifully and hauntingly written, deserves praise.

-Janine Tong Marcoux