Grandfather's Journey follows a young man, his daughter, and her son in their journeys between Japan and California. The narrator is the grandson of the man we are first introduced to. His grandfather grew up in Japan and longed to see the world. When he grew older, he traveled by boat to the new world. He explored and explored the land, and came to California where he liked it the most. He returned to Japan, married a girl from his village and brought her and their daughter to California where his daughter grew up. But he became homesick and moved the family back to Japan. His daughter moved to the city and married and had a young boy who grew up to stories of his grandfather's travels. As he grew older, he traveled as well and felt he got to know his grandfather much better through his travels that his grandfather had once taken. My favorite line in the story was, "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other." I thought this was a wise statement from a man who has grown up in Japan and moved to America. He sees and loves the values that both countries have.
I loved this story. I think it would be wonderful to read to children who are learning about immigration. This is a fantastic true story of Allen Say's grandfather and his understanding of the two cultures he has experienced in his life. It would be very informative to young readers as well as enjoyable to read!
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