crystal_reading's review against another edition
Review copy via publisher
May is anxious about being with her grandfather because she didn’t speak Chinese and he doesn’t speak much English. For many children of immigrants, this is a reality. Many of my students would connect with this as they too have difficulties communicating with grandparents who speak another language. During the course of the day, May gets increasingly frustrated believing that her grandfather is not understanding her at all.
A fun aspect of the book is getting a tour of Chinatown. There is much to see and there is a wide variety of people. One woman is in a wheelchair and one is wearing a mask.
I wish the illustrations didn’t rely on slants or curved lines for eyes and hope that people will stop using that as a shortcut to indicate Asian heritage.
May is anxious about being with her grandfather because she didn’t speak Chinese and he doesn’t speak much English. For many children of immigrants, this is a reality. Many of my students would connect with this as they too have difficulties communicating with grandparents who speak another language. During the course of the day, May gets increasingly frustrated believing that her grandfather is not understanding her at all.
A fun aspect of the book is getting a tour of Chinatown. There is much to see and there is a wide variety of people. One woman is in a wheelchair and one is wearing a mask.
I wish the illustrations didn’t rely on slants or curved lines for eyes and hope that people will stop using that as a shortcut to indicate Asian heritage.
erikatovi's review against another edition
5.0
My Day with Gong Gong is an accurate portrayal of the challenges and rewarding joys in communicating with family members who don’t share your language. Being Japanese American, I can see my own interactions with my grandfather reflected in little May’s experience. Love, though not always spoken, can always be felt. I’m excited to see more books by Asian authors published these days! The illustrations are darling and complement the story well.
mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
This hit me in all the feels; a beautiful and deeply gentle intergenerational coming together across language and culture, My Day with Gong Gong explores a day in life of May as, for one day, she is put into the care of her Gong Gong (grandfather). Mum has to get to work and with no one else available, May is left with Gong Gong who lives on the fringes of Chinatown. The problem is, May has inherited little Cantonese and Gong Gong speaks no English. How will they get on let alone communicate?
As both go for a walk through Chinatown, Gong Gong takes May to visit his usual haunts, shops for food and friends for company and stories in the park. Feeling isolated and imagining herself constantly ignored by her maternal grandfather, May shows Gong Gong her frustration at being tired, isolation and hungry. In return, Gong Gong takes her home through the same route and May finds, to her, delight that her grandfather has supplied her with the knowledge to overcome these frustrations through the language and culture of his world. May suddenly realises that this was his plan all along and when mum comes to pick may up at the end, she and Gong Gong are inseparable.
Utterly beautiful watercolours join sweet illustrations in which character and landscape exude a welcome warmth. Lots to see here and the book closes with a welcome glossary.
As both go for a walk through Chinatown, Gong Gong takes May to visit his usual haunts, shops for food and friends for company and stories in the park. Feeling isolated and imagining herself constantly ignored by her maternal grandfather, May shows Gong Gong her frustration at being tired, isolation and hungry. In return, Gong Gong takes her home through the same route and May finds, to her, delight that her grandfather has supplied her with the knowledge to overcome these frustrations through the language and culture of his world. May suddenly realises that this was his plan all along and when mum comes to pick may up at the end, she and Gong Gong are inseparable.
Utterly beautiful watercolours join sweet illustrations in which character and landscape exude a welcome warmth. Lots to see here and the book closes with a welcome glossary.
mashedpotato's review against another edition
lighthearted
So cute omg? And Canadian? 10/10 no notes
heisereads's review against another edition
4.0
Pair with Drawn Together, Grandpa Grumps, and My Favorite Day.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
This is a sweet story of a little girl who doesn't know Chinese, and yet has to spend the day with her Gong Gong (her Chinese Grandfather on her Mother's side).
May thinks that her grandfather doesn't understand her, as they go through is errands, and hang out with his friends, but she picks up enough Chinese, in the end, to communicate just fine. And her grandfather shows that he does understand her as well.
Readers can pick up, through context, what some of the simple words in Chinese are, but if not, there is a small glossary in the back.
The pictures of Chinatown are sweet, as are the pictures of the interchange between May and her grandfather.
A delightful book. And although I've said it many times before, representation matters. There are many third generation children out there who never learned the language of their grandparents and feel as though they can't communicate.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
May thinks that her grandfather doesn't understand her, as they go through is errands, and hang out with his friends, but she picks up enough Chinese, in the end, to communicate just fine. And her grandfather shows that he does understand her as well.
Readers can pick up, through context, what some of the simple words in Chinese are, but if not, there is a small glossary in the back.
The pictures of Chinatown are sweet, as are the pictures of the interchange between May and her grandfather.
A delightful book. And although I've said it many times before, representation matters. There are many third generation children out there who never learned the language of their grandparents and feel as though they can't communicate.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
aztheninth's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.
This picture book is very cute. What I appreciate the most is that the book is very cognizant that kids do not always understand why adults do things. A grandchild and a grandfather may have extra distance to cover in understanding one another. The story does a good job in presenting that the grandfather was listening and paying attention the whole time.
This picture book is very cute. What I appreciate the most is that the book is very cognizant that kids do not always understand why adults do things. A grandchild and a grandfather may have extra distance to cover in understanding one another. The story does a good job in presenting that the grandfather was listening and paying attention the whole time.
abigailbat's review against another edition
May is not sure how her day with Gong Gong (her grandpa) is going to go since she doesn't speak Chinese and he doesn't speak English. It's a little tough at first, but as they explore Chinatown together and share some special treats, they begin to bond. This book is an ode to the special relationship between girls and their grandfathers, which transcends language barriers.
shaniquekee's review against another edition
4.0
This was really adorable! A story about a young child who spends the day with their grandfather who doesn't speak English. Our protagonist is at first frustrated because they don't speak Chinese and their grandfather seems to be doing nothing that they're interested in, but they still manage to come to an understanding and have a good day together.