Grandfather Counts

by James Cheng, Ange Zhang (Illustrator)

Overview

Reading Rainbow Selection - PBS Kids

In this contemporary intergenerational story, a biracial girl and her Chinese grandfather overcome language differences and develop a special bond.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781584301585
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	09/01/2000
Series:	Reading Rainbow Books
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	445,338
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.75(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	AD570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Andrea Cheng was the author of several award-winning and critically acclaimed books for young readers. Her works range from picture books to young adult novels, and her stories often draw on the experiences of her Hungarian relatives or her husband’s Chinese family. Cheng was inspired here by Dave’s heroism, courage, and creative struggle. She taught English as a Second Language at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and passed away in late 2015.

Ange Zhang has illustrated several children's books, including The Fishing Summer and Winter Rescue. A former designer at the Beijing Opera Company in China, he now lives in Canada.

Editorial 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." -- Kirkus Reviews

"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." -- Booklist

"Several Chinese words, including the numbers one to eight, are naturally incorporated into this moving story of a bicultural, biracial family." -- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Reading Rainbow Selection - PBS Kids

CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

From the Publisher

K-Gr 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 Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

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. Helen is ambivalent about the arrival of her grandfather, Gong Gong, from China. She wants to know her grandfather, but she has had to surrender her room and her cherished view of the train tracks to him. Worst of all, he doesn't understand what she says, and as she doesn't understand him, he withdraws. Her mother says to give him some space and time. One day while Helen is sitting on the back wall, Gong Gong joins her, and together they count the train cars as the freight rumbles past. Contact. Helen learns the first eight numbers in Chinese and Gong Gong learns them in English. From there it is a short leap to Helen's Chinese name and its Chinese characters, and then the letters used to spell Helen. 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. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews