Grandfather Counts
Basic Information:
Illustrator: Ange Zhang
Publication Year: Mar 2003
Publisher: Lee and Low Books
Book Type: Picture Book
Grades: 2nd to 3rd
ISBN-10: 1584301589
ISBN-13: 978-1584301585
About the Book:
Gong Gong (Grandfather) is coming from China to live with Helen’s family. Helen is excited, but anxious. How will she and her siblings, who know only English, communicate with Gong Gong, who speaks only Chinese?
At first Gong Gong keeps to himself, reading the Chinese newspapers he brought with him. Then one day, as Helen sits outside watching for the train that runs behind her house, Gong Gong joins her. He starts counting the train cars in Chinese, and then teaches Helen the words. Helen reciprocates by teaching Gong Gong to count in English. Soon Helen and Gong Gong are teaching each other more words, and a special bond between them begins to develop and grow.
A moving intergenerational story, Grandfather Counts highlights the universality of the love shared between grandparent and grandchild, a love that helps them cross the boundaries of language and culture.
Author Perspective:
When I was a child, I was able to communicate with my grandparents in Hungarian, but I often wondered how different my life would have been if I couldn't. When my children were little, my friend from Hong Kong invited her parents to visit her family in Cincinnati. Her parents were not able to talk to their four American born grandchildren. I watched her father shrink into his Chinese newspapers, and I wondered what he would do when he had finished reading them all. My husband's parents spoke English and so were able to communicate with our children, but I often thought how much richer their relationship would have been if our children spoke Chinese. From all these experiences came Grandfather Counts. Helen in the story is modeled after my middle child, Jane. Her older brother, Henry, is a little bit like Nick. Ceci, the younger sister, is like my youngest child, Ann. I dedicated this book to my parents who have always supported me in all my endeavors, but my father died before the book was published.
Awards:
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
"Cheng's story of a Chinese-speaking grandfather who comes to live with his daughter's English-speaking family ably communicates the difficulties of the language barrier, and the unanticipated joys that come from working your way through that barrier . . . . That every journey starts with a first step is a commonplace conceit, but here the notion fits so snugly the point practically sings, and it feels like an adventurous beginning at that. Lushly colored artwork from Zhang is both elegant and captures the moods of tentativeness, surprise, and satisfaction."
School Library Journal
"Kindergarten-Grade 3. Helen, the eldest of three children, relates what happens when her Chinese grandfather, Gong Gong, comes to America to live with them. He speaks no English, and the children speak no Chinese. Helen has had to give up her small bedroom, from which she could watch trains passing. One day, as she is sitting outside on a concrete wall watching a train go by, she sees Gong Gong at the bedroom window waving to the engineer. One evening, he joins her outside and begins counting the freight cars in his native language; Helen repeats the words, and then teaches him the English. More words are shared, and a special closeness develops between them. Helen's voice sounds authentic, as she describes the tensions and bonds in the family. Bold, impressionistic acrylic paintings with soft blues, greens, and yellows predominating sometimes cover whole spreads or pages, sometimes are framed in white with text above or below. The characters and translations are given for the Chinese words used in the text. An affecting and tender addition to multicultural and intergenerational literature." Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA. 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Booklist
"Ages 4-8. Helen is bothered by having to give up her room to Gong Gong, her Chinese grandfather, when he comes to live with the family. She's puzzled by his sitting and reading his Chinese newspapers. As she can no longer watch the trains from her bedroom window, she sits on the concrete wall in the backyard to count the cars and wave to the engineer. It's there one evening that Gong Gong joins her and teaches her to count the cars in Chinese. They sit together long after the engineer waves good-bye, counting in both Chinese and English. So begin their language lessons and a special relationship. Conveying nuggets of Chinese culture as well as bits of the language, Cheng's story hints honestly at the difficulties of resettling an aged, non-English-speaking relative, and in velvety colors, Zhang's acrylics paint the growing relationship with simple integrity. A brief glossary with pronunciation guides presents words in both Chinese and English." Ellen Mandel. American Library Association. All rights reserved. This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
