Genres
Collection
Description
A young Japanese boy, worried that his grandfather is lonely, accompanies him to the public bath.
Publication
Kane Miller Book Pub (1995), 32 pages
User reviews
LibraryThing member Kelli_Via
Grandpa’s town has not been one on my favorites that I have read recently, however it is still a good book for a few reasons. First, I really like how this book was bilingual. It includes both English and Japanese. For students who are bilingual this could be very useful to see the languages
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compared side by side. I also liked this book because I really got to learn about the Japanese culture. I was not very familiar with their culture and customs but through this book I was able to learn about their culture. For example, I have never heard of public baths. This is where people go and bathe in front of others in the community. From never hearing of this before, having the nudity of the illustrations and detail of the public bath was a little weird to me. However, it did open my eyes to Japanese customs that I was unfamiliar with before. I thought the message of the story was good too. The big idea was that there is more to people than meets the eye. The grandson thought that his grandpa was lonely in this town until he experienced the town with his grandpa and realized that his grandpa is not lonely and enjoys his life because of the community and people he has befriended. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookdads
In this book, translated from the original Japanese edition, little Yuuta and his mother go to visit Grandpa in his town. He has been living there alone since Grandma died, and they are worried that he is lonely there and want him to come live with them. But Grandpa’s not very interested in the
The illustrations in Grandpa’s Town are in a colorful style reminiscent of wood-block printing and depict daily life in a small Japanese town, a culture that will be largely unfamiliar to Western children. The idea of a public bath in particular is sure to strike children as novel. But the greatest strength of this book is in the relationship between Yuuta and his Grandpa, which is not overly expressive although Yuuta loves his Grandpa and his Grandpa is proud of him. Rather, in the way of many men’s relationships, more is conveyed by the time spent together rather than by the words that are spoken. “Quality time” is important but “Quantity time” is too, especially for boys and their male relatives, and Grandpa’s Town reminds us of this with great eloquence.
Reviewed by Book Dads
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idea, and soon announces he’s off to the public bath and takes Yuuta with him. Along the way and at the bath, Yuuta meets many of Grandpa’s local friends and realizes that his Grandpa isn’t really alone after all.The illustrations in Grandpa’s Town are in a colorful style reminiscent of wood-block printing and depict daily life in a small Japanese town, a culture that will be largely unfamiliar to Western children. The idea of a public bath in particular is sure to strike children as novel. But the greatest strength of this book is in the relationship between Yuuta and his Grandpa, which is not overly expressive although Yuuta loves his Grandpa and his Grandpa is proud of him. Rather, in the way of many men’s relationships, more is conveyed by the time spent together rather than by the words that are spoken. “Quality time” is important but “Quantity time” is too, especially for boys and their male relatives, and Grandpa’s Town reminds us of this with great eloquence.
Reviewed by Book Dads
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Awards
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (1991)
Language
Original language
Japanese
Physical description
10.5 x 9.75 inches
ISBN
091629157X / 9780916291570