Buy new:

$9.99

FREE delivery Friday, June 9 on your first order

Or fastest delivery Wednesday, June 7. Order within 4 hrs 51 mins

In Stock

[{"displayPrice":"$9.99","priceAmount":9.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"wa5%2BfJjwxz790ey2o0K3g3Y5ljktBGyRPg12qwmUIYVuSyqxYRZFbPp4Ob6iDmozzcV976IGdpw%2FzCvUKe0Ts82J5S5vJF7GiAAj6LejbwYOHifnSzw9uwdn5mJgghTl","locale":"en-CA","buyingOptionType":"NEW"}]

$$9.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add gift options

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Allen Say

Grandfather's Journey Paperback – Bargain Price, Oct. 27 2008

by Allen Say (Author, Illustrator)

4.7 368 ratings

See all formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Kindle Edition

"Please retry"

$11.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover, Picture Book

"Please retry"

$23.50

$20.08

$37.71

Paperback, Bargain Price

"Please retry"

$9.99

$9.83

$10.37

Purchase options and add-ons

A picture book masterpiece from Caldecott medal winner Allen Say now available in paperback!

Lyrical, breathtaking, splendidwords used to describe Allen Say’s Grandfather’s Journey when it was first published. At once deeply personal yet expressing universally held emotions, this tale of one man’s love for two countries and his constant desire to be in both places captured readers’ attention and hearts. Fifteen years later, it remains as historically relevant and emotionally engaging as ever.

Reading age

4 - 7 years
Print length

32 pages
Language

English
Grade level

1 - 5
Lexile measure

AD650L
Dimensions

24.13 x 0.28 x 29.21 cm
Publisher

Sandpiper
Publication date

Oct. 27 2008
ISBN-10

0547076800
See all details

Frequently bought together

$9.99

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.

+

$20.04

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.

+

$10.99

Only 2 left in stock (more on the way).

Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca.

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Try again!

Details

Added to Cart

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

Robert McCloskey
3,199
Paperback
66 offers from $7.98
Jon Klassen
2,821
Board book
37 offers from $9.59
Mark Shasha
148
Hardcover
28 offers from $28.28
Jan Andrews
80
Hardcover
34 offers from $11.68

Product description

Review

The immigrant experience has rarely been so poignantly evoked.
Horn Book, Starred

About the Author

Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937. He dreamed of becoming a cartoonist from the age of six, and, at age twelve, apprenticed himself to his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. For the next four years, Say learned to draw and paint under the direction of Noro, who has remained Say's mentor. Say illustrated his first children's book -- published in 1972 -- in a photo studio between shooting assignments. For years, Say continued writing and illustrating children's books on a part-time basis. But in 1987, while illustrating THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP (Caldecott Honor Medal), he recaptured the joy he had known as a boy working in his master's studio. It was then that Say decided to make a full commitment to doing what he loves best: writing and illustrating children's books. Since then, he has written and illustrated many books, including TREE OF CRANES and GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, winner of the 1994 Caldecott Medal. He is a full-time writer and illustrator living in Portland, Oregon.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sandpiper (Oct. 27 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0547076800
Item weight ‏ : ‎ 204 g
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 24.13 x 0.28 x 29.21 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #186,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #205 in Exploring Asia for Children
- #657 in Children's Books on Multigenerational Family Life
- #1,204 in Historical Fiction for Children (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 368 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Allen Say

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Allen Say was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1937. He dreamed of becoming a cartoonist from the age of six, and, at age twelve, apprenticed himself to his favorite cartoonist, Noro Shinpei. For the next four years, Say learned to draw and paint under the direction of Noro, who has remained Say's mentor. Say illustrated his first children's book -- published in 1972 -- in a photo studio between shooting assignments. For years, Say continued writing and illustrating children's books on a part-time basis. But in 1987, while illustrating THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP (Caldecott Honor Medal), he recaptured the joy he had known as a boy working in his master's studio. It was then that Say decided to make a full commitment to doing what he loves best: writing and illustrating children's books. Since then, he has written and illustrated many books, including TREE OF CRANES and GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, winner of the 1994 Caldecott Medal. He is a full-time writer and illustrator living in Portland, Oregon.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

368 global ratings

5 star		82%
4 star		11%
3 star		3%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Larissa

Lovely book with beautiful illustrations

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 7, 2021

Verified Purchase

This was one of my favourite books as a kid, and one of the first ones where I saw a protagonist that looked like my family. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story is simple.

One thing to note is that it does talk about "red" and "yellow" men. Definitely take the opportunity to discuss that with your kids when you read this book together.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 6, 2021

Verified Purchase

Actually it is for Kindergarten age or grade 1 students.

Helpful

Betsy Bird

Lovely, evocative, and simple

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 22, 2003

The pictures throughout this book are striking. Even without having known a thing about it, the cover of this book was familiar to me the minute I picked it up. Though I've only seen it briefly in bookstores and libraries, Say's illustrations do not leave a person's mind readily. Most beautiful, to my mind, are his drawings of his elderly grandfather, as well as the evocative shots of cities and mountains in the United States. Say tackles a subject that I've rarely seen even acknowledged in children's literature. It is the notion of forever being homesick for the other towns and cities you've grown to love in your life. I don't know how well this can be conveyed to children. Quite possibly, kids reading this story will understand what the author is saying on a much smaller level. If a person explains to a kid that it is like missing school/camp/a grandparent's house when one is home and vice versa, it might be comprehensible. This would be an excellent book for reading aloud to large groups. Moreover, it might pair well with other stories of immigrants coming to America.

Helpful

Kona

Grandfather's lifelong journey

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on October 19, 2002

Allen Say tells the story of his own grandfather, who was born in Japan, raised a family in California, and returned to Japan, where Say was born. The text is very simple, as are the illustrations. The story is quite touching as the grandfather ages, and can never return to his beloved second home, because of WWII. Cultural differences, such as dress, are shown, as is the unchanging importance of family and tradtion.The author also moved to California as a young man, and now understands even more about his grandfather. This is liked by children 7-9, and adults will appreciate it on their own level. After your child reads this book, I recommend Allen Say's book, "Tree of Cranes."

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on June 29, 2004

As part of a summer course I am taking at WV State University I would like to review this book. It is a great book for a teacher to use. It could be used with the following themes: grandfathers, countries, homesickness and loss. The pictures are beautiful and so is the story.

Helpful

Larry Mark - Editor of MyJewishBooksDotCom

LIke looking through a family album

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 18, 2001

Each large page contains a faded color painting of a photo (maybe 7x8 inches) with text beneath, both by Allen Say. Allen tells the story of his grandfather, first shown in traditional Japanese attire, and next traveling by steamship to California in Western garb and bowler hat. On the next pages, we see him travel through America by riverboat, train and foot, meeting various people (red, brown, white and yellow), seeing deserts and oceans of golden amber grain, visiting rural towns and industrial cities filled with factories. Returning to Japan, he marries, and settles in San Francisco to raise a family. year later, they return to Japan, and he helps to raise his grandchild prior to WWII. Allen, the author, grows up and follows in his grandfather's footsteps, coming to America to explore. When in California, he and his grandfather long for Japan; in Japan they long for California.

Helpful

J. J. Falcone

A moving journey through time and space . . .

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on September 16, 2000

Allen Say has combined his love of family history and his talent for evocative illustration to create this wonderful story to share with your own family! He retells his grandfather's story of immigration, imparting not only the wonder he experiences being in his new country, but also conveying the angst he feels at being away from his land of birth. These feelings are expressed exquisitely in the paintings which bring to mind photograhs of that period in history. In addition, there are many springboard opportunities for discussions. The photographic paintings elicit questions from your children that will begin conversations about methods of travel, different regions of our own country, differences between cultures, and differences between the time that is illustrated and the time we are living in now. A valuable book on so many levels, you will be glad you chose to share this with your children!

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Grandfather's Journey is exquisite!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on November 3, 2000

Grandfather's Journey was my introduction to one of my very favorite authors and illustrators, Allen Say. This magnificently written & beautifully painted book is a masterpiece and a wonderful tribute to Allen's grandfather and progenitors. That anyone would rate this anything but a 5 prompted me to write this review. As a schoolteacher on a very limited budget, I only buy hardback books that I consider exquisite. This was a definite MUST HAVE after I read and re-read it. As a family member, it gives me ideas on how to write my family history. As a school teacher, it provides the perfect example for my students of how they, too, might capture their family's heritage. Definitely a 5!!

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

pilgrim0795

Evocative and Poignant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

Beautifully illustrated. The images seem deeply personal with an inherent sense of dignity. In this wonderful tribute to his grandfather, Allen Say, through his taut prose and pictures, takes the reader on a journey to find the place called home. As the old saying goes, Home is where the heart is. However, what happens if your heart is drawn by two places and very different cultures: the land of your birth and the land through which you journey and ultimately settle?

Grandfather's journeys between the unnamed mountain village in Japan and the seacoast of California, evoke a sense of pilgrimage. Yet the story suggests that with changing times and circumstances, your feelings too can suddenly be changed. In a moment of suspense, it would appear that the restless tide of journeying has ended with grandfather's death.

But the family line continues and in words remniscent of his grandfather, the writer states: "The funny thing is, the moment I am in one country, I am homesick for the other."

Young children may find it difficult to connect with the pictures, (many of them, portraits of the Grandfather and his family). The issue of being an immigrant is probably outside their experience and although this is a story about adventure, it is more a reflection upon the feelings of the grandfather, rather than a suspense filled plot. As an adult, however, I loved this story. Although I have no personal experience of immigration, the skilful combination of writing and images enables you to enter into and empathise with the characters on their restless journeys between homes. Just like Allen, the reader is able to say, "I think I know...grandfather now."

2 people found this helpful

Unga Bunga

Highly recommend

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

Goods as described. Fast shipping. Highly recommend

Elle

Fast delivery and good condition

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 19, 2019

Verified Purchase

Good as description.

lea fischer

Unbeschreiblich schönes Buch

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on June 7, 2014

Verified Purchase

Berührende Geschichte
Poetischer Text
Atemberaubende Illustrationen
Vollkommener Lesegenuss

Ein wertvoller Schatz für die Bilderbuchsammlung!
Das ist kein billiges Kinderbuch zum Aufsagen. Es ist eine ergreifende Beschreibung, die überzeugt und anregt, was mit vielen wunderschönen Illustrationen unterstrichen wird. Fast zu gut für die Kleinen!

Translate review to English

Dirk Harms

Großartige Bilder, großartiges Buch!

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on December 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Großartige Bilder, großartiges Buch!

Translate review to English

See all reviews

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	Amazon Advertising Find, attract and engage customers	Amazon Business Everything for your business	Amazon Drive Cloud storage from Amazon	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Amazon Photos Unlimited Photo Storage Free With Prime	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands

Warehouse Deals Open-Box Discounts	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food	Amazon Renewed Like-new products you can trust	Blink Smart Security for Every Home

Buy new: $9.99

Follow the Author

Grandfather's Journey Paperback – Bargain Price, Oct. 27 2008

Purchase options and add-ons

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product description

Review

About the Author

Product details

About the author

Allen Say

Customer reviews

Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$9.99