Common Sense Media Review
By Patricia Tauzer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
The simple beauty of home and a girl's dream of finding it.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 4+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Inspired by a watercolor hanging on her grandmother's wall, a young American girl follows her dream to find "Old Japan." Her grandmother's stories and the folktales add to her interest until, finally, after studying Japanese in school, she goes to Japan to teach English as a second language. The bustle of Tokyo city life drives her further into the country, and ultimately her search for the house in the painting leads her to much more than she ever expected.
Is It Any Good?
The story, based on a true one, is authentically heartwarming and amazingly simple. From the moment the girl is first drawn in by the magical painting, her story is told in a way that expresses the quiet, solid pace of her journey. The text is clear and absorbing, and Say's watercolors add even greater resonance to the gentle tone of the story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Japan, find it on a map, and discuss what kind of place it might be. Then they might want to talk about the painting and how much it meant to the young girl. What do you think she saw in the watercolor that made her so sure she wanted to find "Old Japan." Why was she not satisfied when she got to Tokyo, and to the other town with its football stadium crowd? What was she searching for that she finally found in the teahouse?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Allen Say
- Genre : Picture Book
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Children's Books
- Publication date : January 26, 2009
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 4 - 7
- Number of pages : 32
- Last updated : March 4, 2020
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate