Grandfather's Journey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grandfather's Journey is a book by Allen Say. Released by Houghton Mifflin, it was the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for illustration in 1994.[1]
[edit] Plot
A young man from Japan, before the Second World War, who crosses the Pacific Ocean and explores the United States. He finds that of all the places he has seen, he likes coastal California best because of the beautiful Sierra Mountains. Eventually, he returns home to Japan and marries his childhood sweetheart.
The young man takes his new bride across the sea and they settle in California, where they have a daughter. As he watches his daughter grow up, the man is filled with nostaglia for his own childhood. He eventually decides to take his family back to Japan when his daughter is nearly grown up.
The man is happy to see his old friends again, but moves to a city nearby in order to satisfy his daughter, who has spent her entire life living in a city. She eventually marries and has a son, who is the narrator of the story. The man, now the titular grandfather of the story, finds that once again he misses California.
He plans a trip to see his adopted country again with his grandson, but never gets a chance to see California again as a result of World War II. His grandson eventually grows up and follows the same journey as as his grandfather, understanding his grandfather's feelings towards two places he called home.
The story is based on Say's grandfather's voyage from Japan to the United States and back again.
[edit] References
- ^ American Library Association: Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present. URL accessed 27 January 2007.
| Preceded by Mirette on the High Wire |
Caldecott Medal recipient 1994 |
Succeeded by Smoky Night |
 |
This article about a children's book is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
