Grandfather's Journey

Say, A. (1993). Grandfather’s Journey. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Brief Annotation: Allen Say tells the story of his grandfather’s journey. Say finds that he his feelings about his two homes are much in the same as his grandfather’s were. The illustrations are realistic portraits of his grandfathers and his life, and they capture the story nicely. The text is very cut and dry. There is no mystery or intrigue. Grandfather’s Journey is easy to read and leaves nothing to the imagination.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade Level: 2-4

Readers who will like this like true or realistic stories of characters lives. Readers who are curious about other countries and cultures would like this book.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3. It was a nice retelling of the life of his grandfather. The illustrations were strong and eye catching. However, it felt void of emotion to me. This could be a cultural difference.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Have you ever been away from home? How did you feel? How did it feel to be home again?