Library Book: Grandfather Counts (Avenues)

Grandfather Counts is a story of a grandfather and his granddaughter coming together even though they don't speak the same language. Gong Gong (Grandfather) came from China to America to stay with Helen's (the granddaughter) family. Since the grandfather did not speak any English, he felt isolated. Gong Gong stayed in Helen's room, and Helen felt upset that she had to share a room with her sister. Everyone in the house had a tough adjustment period. One day, Gong Gong and Helen sat down in front the house watching the train going by and Gong Gong started to count in Chinese. Helen started to learn how to count in Chinese and it was the beginning of Gong Gong and Helen's relationship. It is a great book for children four year old and older. The book is a great conversation opener for parents to talk to kids about that there are people who speak different languages and how to make them feel included and welcomed. It is also a good book that talks about sometimes there are changes in life, and everyone needs to help one another adjust and make the best of it. It's lovely book for any family-- not just Asian American families.

Upper elementary students would benefit from this read-aloud. It is wonderful to see the intergenerational interactions and the beauty each generation is for the other. English-language-learners benefit from the helpful and warm relationships in the book. A book I am glad I own!

This is a sweet book that tells how generations can come together in love and understanding to learn from each other.Grandfather has come from China to live with his daughter and family. He does not know English and the family, other than his daughter, do not know Chinese. Adjustments have to be made with all parties concerned. It is only with a daily travel of a train that runs in the back yard, that things begin to change.Written in first person, I enjoyed how Grandfather and the young grand-daughter would sit out on the concrete wall waiting for the train go by. These sittings helped each to come to an understanding of each other. I am sure by the title of the book, you can figure out what each of them learned but they also learned so much more.This book reminded me so much of fun times I had with my own Grandfather and by listening to him and watching him intently, I learned something. I hope that some day, my own grand-children will learn something from me. I always learn something from them and that is what love and family is all about.The illustrations in the book were colorful, large and somewhat exaggerated, a nice addition to the book as a whole. This book was truly great and I would highly recommend it for families who are inter-generational or intercultural. 5 stars!Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for my open and honest opinion. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon

This book was a very nice family oriented book. It was very colorful and full of attracting pictures to keep children excited about reading it and learning about other cultures. I really liked it.

My grandfather had recently passed away and my younger cousin was very close to him. I never thought I would find such an excellent children's book on the important and loving relationships between Asian American grandparents and their grandchildren. Additionally, the storyline is simply and beautifully written, and the animation is of high quality.I consider this a rare and priceless treasure that I hope will get passed on in generations to come.