Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1993.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-395-57035-2.
A sense of belonging and a sense of place are very powerful in the human experience. Say's lovely, nostalgic, and poignant book captures our humanness, quite apart from country, race or culture. As a young man, Say's grandfather traveled from his home in Japan to America. He fell in love with the amazing and varied wonders of the land, the cities, and the people. He returned to Japan for his bride, but the new world called him back. His daughter was raised in California, yet again the homeland called. Throughout the years in reality and through the power of transmitted memory, his family has had feet in both worlds. "So I return now and then, when I can not still the longing in my heart. The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other."
Say's watercolors have the pastel, tintype look of the era of his grandfather, with faces sober, in posed portraits like photographs of that time. The formality of the pictures belies the emotional struggle of the sense of duality of belonging which both he and his grandfather experience.
This story will resonate with many of our patrons in this multicultural and highly mobile society. Younger children may not be able to process the full impact, but still take in a basic understanding of the journey in relation to the experience of their own families. Good for preschool storytime.
Caldecott Medal Winner, 1994
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Picture Book, 1994
Iowa Children's Choice Award, 2007
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