Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say

This is such a great book. I loved all of the pictures so much because when you read the book, it feels like you are swept away on a trip around the world. The story is amazing and needed to be told. I love that Allen takes it from his own perspective and is his own character in his story. He tells the story of his grandfather as he traveled to America for the first time to explore. He loved it and even raised a family in California. Later in life, he becomes very homesick and returned to Japan with his family. His daughter then raised a family in Japan and had a son who is actually Allen. Allen tells of how he loved to visit with his grandfather. His grandfather told him all about California and how he wants to go back soon. His grandfather never makes it back so Allen moved to California to get a feel for why his grandfather loved it so much. He raised his family there but tells the reader how he still gets homesick for Japan and goes back every now and then. I think the main message is that anywhere you travel can be made into a home and you are always going to miss the places that you move away from. I think this would be great to read to young children and help them to understand how others feel that were not born here. This would also be great for those who have had to move to understand that a home can be made anywhere you go.