Grandfather's Journey
A Review by Amanda Kendall
Bibliography:
Say, Allen. 1993. Grandfather's Journey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0544050509
Plot Summary:
When Allen Say's grandfather was a young man he left Japan and went to explore the world. He traveled by boat, train, riverboat, and foot. He saw the oceans, fields, mountains, and rivers, but his favorite place was California. Say's grandfather settled in California, returning to Japan to marry and then choosing to raise his family in San Fransisco. When his daughter was a young woman, he returned to Japan with his family and found solace in his old friends and childhood mountains and rivers. Eventually, the grandfather's daughter got married and Allen was born. Allen grew up spending time with his grandfather and hearing stories of his travels. Although Grandfather never returned to California, Allen did and found a lasting connection with his grandfather: the feeling of home in both countries.
Critical Analysis:
Allen Say's delightful tribute to his grandfather celebrates his life and his experiences as an American immigrant. The text is is beautifully crafted, yet clear and concise. Each page has a sentence or two that pauses at the important life milestones of his grandfather. Broad transitions are used to show the passage of time. For example, Say writes "After a time, he returned to his village in Japan to marry his childhood sweetheart. Then he brought his bridge back to his new country" (1996). There is no way to measure the amount of time Say's grandfather remained in any one place, but rather that he was there and then he moved on. Delicately balanced to include the moments in life, the beauty of the world traveled, and the reflection of the life's journey, the text thoughtfully walks the reader through Grandfather's life.
Say's gorgeous illustrations are powerful and calming. Each illustration is outlined with a black border framing the illustration in simple elegance. The soft color palette, curved shapes, and inclusion of landscape images create gentle images throughout the book. Many of the illustrations are portraits that frame Say's grandfather and family in a moment in time much like a photograph. The people are posed exactly as they would have been in a photograph from that era. One of the most impressive aspects of the illustrations is the accuracy and historical context of each one. For example, in the illustration of Say's mother as a young girl she is seen with a blonde hair, blue eyed doll, showing her access to American cultural toys rather than a doll that represented her cultural heritage or family. This subtle inclusion of the baby doll is an excellent example of how Say includes some of the realities of being a Japanese American.
Cultural markers are beautifully woven into the illustrations and simple elegance of the story. The characters presented are authentic in appearance, dress, and cultural representation. The first page introduces Say's grandfather in traditional Japanese attire, and then shows his change to European clothes for the journey to America. The first time in European clothes, he is pictured in a too large coat and awkwardly holding his hat, showing how he is uncomfortable in this change but bravely taking it on. In the pages that follow, the clothes are a better fit illustrating how Say's grandfather has found his place in America. We see similar cultural markers with clothing throughout the book. Say's mother is shown as a young woman in both an American style dress and hat when arriving in Japan and then in a Japanese kimono for her wedding. By showing characters in both styles of clothing, the reader understands how they are a part of each culture.
Themes of immigration, family, and nature are strong throughout the memoir. Say's grandfather is drawn to the beauty of the world and he is continually amazed by the splendor of the mountains and oceans. Whether in Japan or California, his appreciation and love of nature is apparent. Family is another strong theme throughout the story. Many of Say's grandfather's decisions in life were made with family in mind. He returns to Japan to marry is childhood sweetheart. He moves to a larger city in Japan to accommodate his San Fransisco born daughter. Family is a guiding force for his life decisions. Not only is Say sharing his grandfather's immigration story, but also his own. Mirroring his grandfather's love of adventure, Say immigrates to the United States and finds a home in California while keeping his ties to his home in Japan. Here, Say captures the immigrants experience of being a part of two different worlds and finding they are both a strong part of their identity saying, "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other" (Say 1996).
Review Excerpts & Awards:
PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY (August 16, 1993) "Say transcends the achievements of his Tree of Cranes and A River Dream
with this breathtaking picture book, at once a very personal tribute to
his grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions.
Elegantly honed text accompanies large, formally composed paintings to
convey Say's family history; the sepia tones and delicately faded colors
of the art suggest a much-cherished and carefully preserved family
album."
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (September 1993) "A personal history of three generations of the author's family that
points out the emotions that are common to the immigrant experience.
Splendid, photoreal watercolors have the look of formal family portraits
or candid snapshots, all set against idyllic landscapes in Japan and in
the U.S."
- Caldecott Medal, 1994
Curricular Connections:
- Say shares a story from his family's history. Invite students to interview an older relative about their childhood and/or younger years. Encourage students to learn more about their family history.
- Birds are an important symbol used throughout the book. Say's grandfather keeps warblers and silver eyes when living in Japan and other various songbirds while living in America. Conduct some research about birds local to the area in which you live. What types of songbirds live in your area?
