Book Review: Tea with Milk

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Say, A. (2009). Tea with milk. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 978-0547237473

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

At home in San Francisco, May speaks Japanese and the family eats rice and miso soup and drinks green tea. When she visits her friends’ homes, she eats fried chicken and spaghetti. May plans someday to go to college and live in an apartment of her own. But when her family moves back to Japan, she soon feels lost and homesick for America. In Japan everyone calls her by her Japanese name, Masako. She has to wear kimonos and sit on the floor. Poor May is sure that she will never feel at home in this country. Eventually May is expected to marry and a matchmaker is hired. Outraged at the thought, May sets out to find her own way in the big city of Osaka. The accompanying story of his mother and her journey as a young woman is heartfelt.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I enjoyed this book; it is a book that will be added to my wish list for my next book purchase! As I read this book, I couldn’t help but smile and get excited as I flipped through each page, wondering what would happen next. I am also curious to try tea with milk and sugar.  This story is told beautifully, and I was surprised at the end to learn the narrator was May’s son. I thought this book explained May’s story beautifully, describing her life in San Francisco and the differences between her home and school life. For example, the book mentions how May spoke Japanese at home, but when she was with her friends, they spoke English. Another example was what she ate at home, “rice, plain tea, and miso soup, but at school, she enjoyed pancakes and drank tea with milk and sugar.”  I also liked how the author explained May’s unhappiness when she returned to Japan after high school.  As I look at the culture, I think Say did a fantastic job depicting the Japanese culture. He included examples of the language, the food they enjoyed, and the dress attire. Additionally, Say included details on how May saw her life as an American and struggled with adapting to a culture she didn’t identify with anymore.

The illustrations were also done beautifully. Everything was well done, from the skin tones to facial expressions. The shape of the eyes was balanced, and the clothing was also illustrated to depict the culture accurately.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Starred review in Horn Bookt: "Continuing to explore place and home, Say tells the story of his mother, first introduced to readers in TREE OF CRANES. Born in California to Japanese immigrants, Masako is miserable when she moves to Japan with her parents after high school. The illustrations capture Masako's unhappiness and also her eventual contentment as she learns to combine two cultures." Horn Book tradition and the story's history. The tale's simplicity makes this ideal for introducing students to the concept of mythology.

Starred review in Kirkus: In describing how his parents met, Say continues to explore the ways that differing cultures can harmonize; raised near San Francisco and known as May everywhere except at home, where she is Masako, the child who will grow up to be Say's mother becomes a misfit when her family moves back to Japan. Rebelling against attempts to force her into the mold of a traditional Japanese woman, she leaves for Osaka, finds work as a department store translator, and meets Joseph, a Chinese businessman who not only speaks English, but prefers tea with milk and sugar, and persuades her that ``home isn't a place or a building that's ready-made or waiting for you, in America or anywhere else.'' Painted with characteristic control and restraint, Say's illustrations, largely portraits, begin with a sepia view of a sullen child in a kimono, gradually take on distinct, subdued color, and end with a formal shot of the smiling young couple in Western dress. A stately cousin to Ina R. Friedman's How My Parents Learned To Eat (1984), also illustrated by Say.

5. CONNECTIONS

*Have discuss the different character traits that describe May. How does she change from the beginning of the story to the end. Have students use specific examples from the text to support their responses.

*Engage students in a discussion on how May’s life changed over the course of the story. What are the differences between the beginning of the story when she lived and San Francisco and the ending of the story. Have them think about their life. Can they relate to some of May's changes when she moved back home? Students will share their responses with their classmates.  

*Other picture books by Allen Say

Say, A. (2008). Grandfather’s journey. Sandpiper. ISBN: 9780547076805

 

Say, A. (2009b). Tree of Cranes. Sandpiper, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

 

ISBN: 978-0547248301


This book review was written for SHSU MLS course.

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