MY GRANDFATHER'S SONG

A grandfather teaches his grandchild nature’s song.

“Listen, do you hear it?” the grandfather asks his grandchild, Tí, as he steers a small boat. The duo have come to a “new land” now known as Vietnam. As the grandfather and the jungle, symbolized by foliage that forms the image of a monkey, greet one another, the grandson observes “a thousand voices at once. A crash of noises.” The child finds it all overwhelming, yet the grandfather explains, “This is music, and we must learn the song.” As the two of them build a fence around their new home, the grandfather calmly explains, “The bamboo we cut is a melody we raise high as a roof.” Tí gradually gains survival skills such as fishing, sailing, and cultivating the land. Every page teems with vivid landscapes and textures, the deft use of light, colors, and lush detail making for dramatic scenes. When Grandfather says, “You do not have to shout down the storm. Find its rhythm; sing with it,” readers will feel the stark cold of a sea storm. The narrative comes full circle, with a now-adult Tí asking a child, “Listen, do you hear it?” In the backmatter, the creators note that their tale pays homage to “the very first pioneers to the South of Vietnam.”

A mesmerizing and enthralling tribute.