Journey Home [Hardcover]

Lawrence McKay (Author), Lawrence McKay Jr (Author), Keunhee Lee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Mai returns to Vietnam, the land of her mother's birth, to discover both a new country and something about herself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this subdued and affecting story, a woman who was abandoned as an infant at a Saigon orphanage travels from the U.S. back to Vietnam to look for her birth family. Her 10-year-old daughter, Mai, narrates the story as she accompanies her mother. The only clue to the woman's identity is her sole possession at the time of her adoption by an American couple: a delicate, handmade kite. Most of the book follows the woman's involved search and fruitless efforts to discover her roots. But in the book's most childlike moment, Mai wistfully empathizes with her mother, since the girl has never met her own father: "Mom doesn't know where he is, and he's never tried to find me. I don't understand why people can't stay together." Their quest finally leads them to an elderly kite maker who, in an emotional reunion, relates his connection to the woman's parents, killed in a bombing, and how he rescued Mai's motherAand the kite, made by her father. But McKay's (Caravan) pacing is problematic: after the long buildup, this climactic moment gets short shrift. The Lees' (Baseball Saved Us) realistic art, by turns brightly lighted and almost oppressively dark, seamlessly matches the changing moods of the text. Throughout, the artists evoke a clear picture of Vietnam's urban and rural landscapes (in one standout scene, the Lees deftly spotlight mother and daughter in a rickshaw in the midst of the chaotic streets of Shanghai). Uneven tempo aside, this text will engage anyone interested in Vietnam or adoption. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4ATen-year-old Mai describes the journey she and her mother make to Vietnam to find her mother's birth parents. They search at the People's Hall of Records in Saigon and visit many orphanages; but it is a kite, Lin's only possession when she was adopted by an American couple, that leads them to her identity. Mai herself, whose father left the family before she was born, comes to an understanding of what "home" really means. The story is told in a straightforward, prosaic style with minimal description of present-day Vietnam. The Buddha is briefly mentioned but never identified. The illustrations, covering a full-page or three-quarters of a double-page spread, are scratched out from encaustic beeswax applied to paper and then gone over with oil paints and colored pencil, giving a mottled, textured effect. They are somewhat static. The lush blues and greens of the countryside are attractive; however, a brown, sometimes murky palette is used for the city and indoor illustrations. Oddly, mother and daughter wear the same clothes throughout most of the book. A useful but nonessential purchase, this title might find a niche as America's newer residents come to terms with their heritage. For a factual account of a similar experience with a more in-depth look at Vietnam, try Jeremy Schmidt's photo-essay, Two Lands, One Heart (Walker, 1995).ADiane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880000652
• ISBN-13: 978-1880000656
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 10.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,029,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely story, beautifully illustrated!, November 26, 2000

By 

Barb Ohland (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Journey Home (Paperback)

This is a great book for all the children whose lives are touched by adoption. The wonderful illustrations accurately capture the beauty of Vietnam. We are thoroughly enjoying this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous book, April 3, 2007

By 

Barry N. Wilensky - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Journey Home (Hardcover)

Highly recommended. A mother and daughter visit the mother's birthplace in Vietnam, learning the story behind the kite which means so much to the daughter and the facts of the mother's earliest years. Touching and meaningful, this book is terrific for children and adults from age 7 and up. Used in our school for discussions around Vietnam, war, and multiculturalism.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching story of a search for roots, October 13, 2005

By 

Christina (Duvall, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Journey Home (School & Library Binding)

This is a good story about an important topic - a woman's search for her birthfamily. Two small things bothered me: First, the narrator calls the American (grand)father the woman's "Foster Father". A child adopted from Vietnam would not have been a foster child; therefore the correct term would be "Adoptive Father". Second, the main character prays to a goddess in Vietnam. This is probably realistic but for my children it is not something I want to encourage. Aside from those small flaws, I found this to be a touching and important book.