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    Grandfather's Journey
    Grandfather's Journey
    Grandfather's Journey
    Audiobook8 minutes

    Grandfather's Journey

    Written by Allen Say

    Narrated by B.D. Wong

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather’s life in the United States and Japan, Allen Say poignantly recounts his familys' journey to America. The feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries are sensitively expressed.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWeston Woods
    Release dateJan 1, 2008
    ISBN9780545786515
    Grandfather's Journey
    Author

    Allen Say

    Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, and came to the United States when he was sixteen. His many treasured books for children include Tree of Cranes, Allison, and the Caldecott Medal–winning Grandfather's Journey. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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    Reviews for Grandfather's Journey

    4/5

    491 ratings81 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I didn't enjoy the audiobook much. I thought it would be interesting and touch on immigration and the struggles etc or have more about the place he left rather than about a man who is constantly discontent. It is nice that it is based on a true story, but not exactly what I was looking for as a homeschooling Mom for my child.
    • 4/5
      I liked the drawings. I had a connection to the book because I am from California and my great grandparents came from another country. Shane
    • 4/5
      This would be a great book to introduce kids to genealogy or learning family history. I love how Say shows the circular nature of families, highlighting similarities between generations. Would also be a great book for multi-national families who call two countries home.
    • 4/5
      Really, really liked this - will definitely be getting it for children in hard copy.
    • 5/5
      Allen Say takes you through the journey of his grandfather's life. He moves from Japan to the US and travels seeing as much as he can. He misses home and returns to Japan, there he misses California. Allen makes you understand his grandfather's love of both of his homes through his constant homesickness of the other. He inherits these same feelings for both homes as well.
    • 3/5
      Sure it's beautiful and poignant - but I just can't imagine even older children (much less toddlers, who are the default target for picture-books) liking it, and I didn't feel enough depth for me as an adult.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed reading this book. I did not think I was going to like it however, the author's portrayal of his grandfather's journey from Japan to America was very intricately written. Allen Say includes many details in his writing that engages readers. He includes facts and background of Japanese immigrants to appeal to the reader. As Allen's grandfather comes to America, he experiences its beauty, visiting many states. He visits mountains and plains. The big illustrations on each page accurately depict the be beautiful story being portrayed.
    • 5/5
      I LOVED this book! It touched on issues of homesickness, having to live in a country that is not your homeland, and issues of family and family identity. Additionally, the story depicts in a very human way the culture of Japan and America and how they differ.
    • 4/5
      I could really relate to this touching story that shows the personal conflict of people who leave home to make a new life in another country. This shows how one may always yearn for one of their two countries. I think that my grandparents always thought of Poland as home, even though they spent most of their lives here, happily. I especially enjoyed how Say juxtaposes pictures to contrast the features and cultures of the U.S. and Japan and how the images carry the theme of family heritage & following in the footsteps of your grandparents.







    • 5/5
      The pictures are wonderful; each one can stand on its own as a work of art. A very brief summary of the author's grandfather's life is combined with a realization that both of them feel connected to both California and Japan, two very different parts of the world.
    • 4/5
      Well written autobiography of Allen Say (authors) take on his grandfathers life. Allen and his grandfather were both born in Japan. His grandfathers left Japan and fell in love with America, especially California. He eventually moved to California then back to Japan. Allen visits California after his grandfather passes and sees why his grandfather loved both countries.
    • 4/5
      The genre of this book is biography/autobiography. It tells the tale of the author, Allen Say's grandfather's journey to the New World, which is America from Japan. His grandfather had many adventures in the new world, and eventually settled down in California with his wife from Japan. Even though his grandfather loved his new home, he still missed the world he had grew up in: Japan. After his daughter had grown, the grandfather took his small family back to Japan, which is where Say grew up. Say, too, in turn, moved to California, who found out that he, just like his grandfather, missed his old home in Japan.
    • 5/5
      “Grandfather’s Journey” is a multicultural book. The illustrations are wonderfully done, they are watercolor portraits. The story line is about a young man from Japan that decides to travel to America. Once in America he travels across the country and is impressed with all that he sees. He come to California and decides to stay. After several years, he becomes homesick and goes back to Japan, where he marries his sweetheart and then moves her back to California where they raise their daughter. He once again he long to be in Japan, and moves his family back to Japan, where he stayed. She daughter married in Japan and raised a son, who is the narrator of the story. While back in Japan, the family grows and war breaks out. The young man now up in his age and now a grandfather, dreams of going back to California, which he never does but his grandson goes to see California for himself.Personal Reflection:I love the illustrations in this book, they are pleasing to the eye, and helps tell the story. I like how the story shows a man’s love for two countries, Japan and America. It is a simple story, however it tells a wonderful story.Extension ideas:I would ask the students if they would like to go to another country, if so which one.I would have them go to the library to find a picture book on the country they would like to visit. Have them give a small report on that country.
    • 5/5
      A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America which he later also endures, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries. As a winner of the Caldecott Medal, the illustrations of this book are enchanting for the reader. This story will introduce young readers to historical concepts of America and Japan, such as WWII, and the beauty from Japan.
    • 5/5
       In my opinion, Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say, captures the immigration of a man and his family from Japan to California very well. This book can be appreciated by both adults and children as a way to talk about many different issues that are common in the world especially a county like the United States that is an immigrant country. The book pushes the issue of homesickness, culture shock, and the definition of home. Allen Say describes in the journey and emotions that a person can go through when traveling to live in a new country using his clear and understated writing style. There is only one or two sentences per page. Although there are not many words on each page, the story and characters are beautiful and enhanced by the water color illustrations. The pictures alone could tell the story of the young man's life. One big theme in the story is what “home” means. Home is a concept that is different for each person and can be hard to define if you have moved. On the last page, Say writes, “The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.” Many times people who have moved and adapted to their new home still feel off. In one illustration, the reader sees the man looking out a window longingly surrounded by birds in cages. The page reads, “He remembered the mountains and rivers of his home. He surrounded himself with birds, but he could not forget.” The feeling and longing for home and trying to find something that fills your heart is a hard journey to go through. This book describes that feeling of not feeling completely at home anymore because your heart is separated into several places. It can get the reader thinking, relating, and communicating how they feel about home and moving.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book because the illustrations were such an important element to the story. There was not a lot of actual text, so much of the story was looking at the illustrations. But the illustrations paired with the text quite well. For example, when it was mentioned that his grandfather wore European clothes for the first time there was an illustration of his grandfather in European clothes on the ship. Another example is when the author mentioned the, “rocks like enormous sculptures [that] amazed him” there was a picture of one of those enormous sculptures that the reader could view. Another aspect of the book that I liked was that the plot was very organized. The beginning of the story is about the grandfather’s journey between America and Japan, and then the story was about the daughter’s and grandson’s journey between Japan and America. The book also pushes the reader to think about an issue that will broaden their perspective. One example is that is this line, “The moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.” I thought that this was quite compelling. For a reader who has never lived in multiple countries it would be quite hard to relate to this line. I think this is another value to this story. It allows young students to think about one of the difficulties of migration, and I think that is a great concept for young children to have a better understanding of. The characters were also well developed in this story. There were lots of details about the grandfather’s background and feelings throughout the story. This helps for the reader to become invested in the characters, and relate better to them. The overall big idea of the story was that the grandson better understood his grandfather when he had something in common with him. He was better able to relate to his grandfather when he understood the difficulties that his grandfather endured. This goes along with the idea of not judging a book by its cover. He could not judge his grandfather until he was able to live a life like his grandfather. Students will learn the message that they cannot understand everyone’s difficulties just by looking at them.
    • 3/5
      I had mixed feelings about this book after reading it. I liked the book because of the illustrations. They added detail and enhanced the story. For example, on page 18, the illustration includes several birdcages with birds. Based on the text on the page I didn’t know what “songbirds” meant until I glanced at the illustration. This was the case for several other illustrations. The illustrations not only added detail but also enhanced the story. But I didn’t like the language used throughout the book. I felt that some pages were very vague and lacked detail, such as page 18. Also, page 5 says, “He wore European clothes for the first time…” What are European clothes? What makes clothes European? More detail would have added so much to the book and added interest for me. The message of the book is that even though you may feel at home, you can still feel homesick. The boy in the book considered Japan and California his homes. When he was in one home he was homesick for the other. This can be the case for children when they first start school or when students go off to college.
    • 4/5
      Allen Say retells the story of his grandfather's journey from Japan to America. Say's grandfather falls in love with traveling and explore various parts of the United States before settling in California. After a while in California, Say's grandfather longs to go back to Japan. The grandfather realizes that when he is in Japan he misses California and vice versa. Once Say travels to California for the first time, he realizes how he grandfather always felt homesick for the place where he was not. I like this because it shows the wonders of travel. Through the book, Say's love and admiration for his grandfather is very evident.
    • 3/5
      One of the most striking things about Grandfather's Journey is how the stoicism of this Japanese man is very much so an excellent example of their culture. The somewhat introverted nature of this character not only captures a snapshot of their culture, but also how much Grandfather was separated and, at times, marginalized. Because of the implicit nature of this book, it may have to be explained to younger readers. Older readers may get these non-verbal cues, but the sparse nature of the text of the book may leave them disinterested.
    • 3/5
      This story really captures the cross-cultural dynamic the grandfather faced when trying to decide which country he loved the most, Japan or the United States. His journey became a part of his legacy which allows students an insight into another culture. Many students reading this story probably have not experienced anything like this grandfather has so it's a great introduction to accepting new ideas. I do feel that this story would resonate better with older children and even adults because I think it is a lot to understand for younger children. The illustrations followed the story.
    • 4/5
      I did like this book a lot, but I think that it will better appreciated by adults than by children. I really liked this tribute to a man's grandfather who had a wanderlust and who loved two places, his hometown in Japan and his home in California. I do love the illustrations that are present in this book, They are gorgeous yet simple, and they capture the places of the story perfectly. It tells the story itself about a young man's life, as he grows up, starts a family and passes his story onto his children and grandchildren. The narrative was also well written. It was simple, with no more than two sentences per page. I think that this would be good for the younger readers but they would have to know about the background knowledge of immigration and emigration. This is a good book for individuals who have tried to move from one culture to another and find themselves falling in love with one country while missing the other.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed reading the book “Grandfather’s Journey.” Using these beautiful pictures and limited writing, Allen Say has captured what it means to live in two cultures at once. In Grandfather's Journey, a young boy remembers his grandfather's memories of Japan and America and his love for both countries. As a young boy in Japan, the grandfather is able to have a yearning for travel and a desire to explore America. When the grandson is able to go to America, he understands how his grandfather felt coming to the United States. I was immediately drawn to this book because of the quality of the illustrations with its limited writing aspect. I feel that this book deals with subjects that may be uncomfortable for children but, that it still touches on genuine feelings that should not be ignored or overlooked. I really liked the narrative and artistic combination and felt emotionally satisfied after reading it. I think this book could be used very effectively in our schools because of the high number of children from other countries. A conversation could be started about where “home” is and what it means for each child. Also, a good way of helping young people relate to this story would be to interview their grandparents or other relatives. They would hear their grandparents or other relatives reminisce about their memories of “home.” The big idea of the story is, knowing “home” can be in one place, and yet no matter how far you travel from it, it still holds a special place in your life’s memories.
    • 2/5
      I did not like this book too much. I feel like this book was too unrealistic. I felt this way because there was no talk of how the grandfather got any money to do all of the things he was doing. I feel like someone would need a great deal of money to go from Japan to America and then back with a wife and to buy a new house for the daughter to grow up with. However, the book just says that he does all of these things and does not explain how. What I felt was best about this story was its illustrations. I feel like the illustrator did a wonderful job capturing how the grandfather aged from the beginning of the book up to where he died in the book. The amount of detail was amazing and I really loved the imagery used when the grandfather was on his deathbed. The big picture of this book was to show how culture is something you cannot escape and you might miss it if you leave the culture you grew up in. When the grandfather explored America, American culture became a part of him too. That is why the grandson said he felt like he knew his grandfather more once he was able to visit america too.
    • 3/5
      I had mixed feelings about this book, but mostly I really enjoyed it. The only negative was that the plot was slightly confusing and out of order, but it also made it very interesting. The characters are pretty developed, but the reader doesn’t find out who the narrator at first. The illustrations are very realistic and subtly powerful. The book pushes the reader to think about the perspective of someone that doesn’t have just one place to call home. The message was that some people have more than one home.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed how this book had very little words with large illustrations. It makes readers realize how much the grandfather loved to travel. Rather than just describe his journey with words, the author decides to describe it with illustrations, which can depict much more than words. The illustrations also help readers with comprehension because each picture matched up with the few words on that page. The central meaning in this book is traveling.Summary: The book starts off by telling us about the Grandfather's past. He grew up in Japan. However, he traveled by boat to America for the first time. His favorite state was California. He then moved back to Japan to marry his high school sweet heart. After his daughter grew up, she got married and had a son. Ever since the boy was young, he wanted to follow his grandfathers footsteps and go to California. He found this possible after his grandfather died and soon found out why California was his grandfather's favorite state.
    • 2/5
      This was a historical fiction picture book about a Japanese man who couldn't decide if he wanted to live in US or Japan. He says at the end 'when he gets to one place, he begins to miss and feel homesick for the other'. It would be best for 2nd graders. It isn't something I would recommend because I think there are better books for immigration and Japanese -Americans.
    • 4/5
      I liked the multicultural book, Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say because both readers in Japan and America can relate to it. The book explores both areas and explains why both places are so special. I also loved that I did not know who was speaking until half way through the book; it added a different perspective to the text.
    • 3/5
      After reading "Grandfather's Journey" by Allen Say, I thought the book did indeed have many good traits. I liked how it portrayed to the reader a real sense of family, as it moved down in generations from the Grandfather, to his family, to his grandson, and even all the way down to his grandson's child in the end. Their family held so much history, between traveling back from Japan to the United States, and raising different members of the family in different settings. I believe that it gives kids the incentive after hearing this book, to maybe go home and inquire more about their own family. I can also see it being a good book in a classroom where possibly one or more students in the classroom are from a different country as well. It could be a good way to show how everyone has a different history, a different upbringing, and it just goes to show that differences make the world go round. All in all, I thought "Grandfather's Journey" was a very worthwhile read, and would recommend this multicultural book to any interested in what it's story holds!
    • 5/5
      A Japanese-American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America, which he later undertakes himself, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries. The whole book is like your grandmother sitting you on her lap telling you stories while you flip through a photo album. Rich language and beautiful illustrations bring this memoir-like story to life. I would use this book as a mentor text for figurative language.
    • 5/5
      The illustration in this book were amazing. This is a book I will recommend. It explains why it is so hard for people to leave their homeland even when the current situation there is not good. Love of homeland, your roots and your culture is a very different thing than politics. This is a warm and touching story.