Grandfather’s Journey

Say, Allen. 1993. Grandfather’s journey. Ill. by Allen Say. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395570352

Plot Summary

A young Japanese man sails to America where he explores and falls in love with the beauty of North America. He returns to Japan to bring his wife to America and they settle in California where they raise their daughter. After many years, the man misses Japan and returns home with his family.  He often tells his grandson, who was born and raised in Japan, about America and how he hopes to see California again, but war prevents him from returning. When the grandson is grown he moves to America and comes to understand why his grandfather loved California, and why he missed Japan.

Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers)

Through Grandfather’s Journey, Allen Say portrays both the enticement of exploring a new land, and the longing to return home. “The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other.” This is a bicultural story that spans generations with the grandson completing the grandfather’s journey.

The richly detailed watercolor paintings capture the variety of landscapes, villages, and cities in both America and Japan. The clothing is detailed and reflects both the time period, and the locations. The paintings have the feel of family photos that manage to capture the strangeness of wearing unfamiliar clothes, the camaraderie of new and old friends, the culture shock of coming “home” to a foreign homeland, and the desolation of a city destroyed by war.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: “The brief text is simple and unaffected, but the emotions expressed are deeply complex. The paintings are astonishingly still, like the captured moments found in a family photo album.”

Horn Book Magazine: “The soft-toned watercolors have the feel of a family album... They seem to be moments taken from a life, intensely personal and at the same time giving voice to and confirming an experience shared by countless others.”

Connections

The story of Allen Say’s mother, a Japanese American who moved to Japan with her family when she was a teenager, is told in:

Say, Allen. 1999. Tea with milk. Ill. by Allen Say. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395904951