Grandpa’s Town

In this book, translated from the original Japanese edition, little Yuuta and his mother go to visit Grandpa in his town.  He has been living there alone since Grandma died, and they are worried that he is lonely there and want him to come live with them.  But Grandpa’s not very interested in the idea, and soon announces he’s off to the public bath and takes Yuuta with him.  Along the way and at the bath, Yuuta meets many of Grandpa’s local friends and realizes that his Grandpa isn’t really alone after all.

The illustrations in Grandpa’s Town are in a colorful style reminiscent of wood-block printing and depict daily life in a small Japanese town, a culture that will be largely unfamiliar to Western children.  The idea of a public bath in particular is sure to strike children as novel.  But the greatest strength of this book is in the relationship between Yuuta and his Grandpa, which is not overly expressive although Yuuta loves his Grandpa and his Grandpa is proud of him.  Rather, in the way of many men’s relationships, more is conveyed by the time spent together rather than by the words that are spoken.  “Quality time” is important but “Quantity time” is too, especially for boys and their male relatives, and Grandpa’s Town reminds us of this with great eloquence.

Excerpt:

Grandpa and I decided to take the long way home.  Trudging along slowly, slowly, I pushed Grandpa from behind.  “You aren’t alone after all, are you, Grandpa?” I said.  Grandpa looked back over his shoulder at me.  “Hmm hmm…” he agreed happily.