Editorial Reviews

Home becomes elusive in this story about immigration and acculturation, pieced together through old pictures and salvaged family tales. Both the narrator and his grandfather long to return to Japan, but when they do, they feel anonymous and confused: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other." Allen Say's prose is succinct and controlled, to the effect of surprise when monumental events are scaled down to a few words: "The young woman fell in love, married, and sometime later I was born." The book also has large, formal paintings in delicate, faded colors that portray a cherished and well-preserved family album. The book, for audiences ages 4 to 8, won the 1994 Caldecott Medal.

Publishers Weekly
At once a very personal tribute to [Sayer's] grandfather and a distillation of universally shared emotions.

From Kirkus Reviews , October 1, 1993
``The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other,'' observes Say near the end of this poignant account of three generations of his family's moves between Japan and the US. Say's grandfather came here as a young man, married, and lived in San Francisco until his daughter was ``nearly grown'' before returning to Japan; his treasured plan to visit the US once again was delayed, forever as it turned out, by WW II. Say's American-born mother married in Japan (cf. Tree of Cranes, 1991), while he, born in Yokohama, came here at 16. In lucid, graceful language, he chronicles these passages, reflecting his love of both countries--plus the expatriate's ever-present longing for home--in both simple text and exquisitely composed watercolors: scenes of his grandfather discovering his new country and returning with new appreciation to the old, and pensive portraits recalling family photos, including two evoking the war and its aftermath. Lovely, quiet- -with a tenderness and warmth new to this fine illustrator's work. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Horn Book
Say's grandfather travels throughout North America as a young man but, unable to forget his homeland, returns to Japan with his family, where the author is born. Say now lives in California and returns to his native land from time to time. he funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other. I think I know my grandfather now. The immigrant experience has rarely been so poignantly evoked as it is in this direct, lyrical narrative, accompanied by soft-toned watercolors. -- Copyright © 1994 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description
Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather's life in America and Japan, Allen Say gives us a poignant acount of a family's unique cross-cultural experience. He warmly conveys his own love for his two countries, and the strong and constant desire to be in both places at once. "The immigrant experience has rarely been so poignantly evoked as it is in this direct, lyrical narrative that is able to stir emotions through the sheer simplicity of its telling." -- Horn Book, starred review ALA Notable Book
Booklist Editors' Choice
Boston Globe/ Horn Book Award
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books -- Blue Ribbon Winner
Horn Book Fanfare Selection
New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Synopsis
The author-artist of Tree of Cranes provides a moving, beautifully illustrated study of his family's own cross-cultural experience, in personal reminiscences of his grandfather's life in America and Japan that convey a love for both countries.

Synopsis
Through compelling reminiscences of his grandfather's life in America and Japan, Caldecott Medalist Allen Say gives us a poignant account of his family's unique cross-cultural experience. Illustrated with memorable full-color paintings, this is Say's most personal and remarkable picture yet of the bridging of the two cultures. Full color. 1994 Caldecott Medal.

Card catalog description
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries.

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Last Updated: 10/07/01