What do You think about Tea With Milk (1999)?
Tea With Milk is the story of Allan Say's parents who met in Japan after both had lived very different lives as children. May (Masako) grew up in San Francisco and was used to the American way before her parents decided to return to Japan. Joseph grew up with foster parents who spoke English in their home. Each a tiny bit rebellious, but they equally wanted a home to call their own, start a family, and be settled. Their story is lavishly embellished with watercolor illustrations that portray a struggle to meld two cultures into one as they search for a permanent place.
—Jackie
Tea with Milk tells the story of Masako (May), a Japanese American girl who moves from America to Japan just as she is about to finish high school in America. Her parents have decided that they are tired of feeling like foreigners in America and that the best thing for their family will be to return to Japan. Ironically, Masako does not like her new life in Japan as she is labeled a "gaijin" (foreigner) for not knowing how to speak Japanese. Masako's efforts to make her own way in Japan shape the story as it unfolds. This book is beautifully illustrated by the author, Allen Say, and the pictures contribute almost as much of the story-telling as the text itself. Many young people dealing with the intersection of their family's cultural and the traditional American way of life will relate to Masako's struggle to honor her parents while staying true to her own desires. Though the story is told from Masako's point of view, I wish Say had portrayed her parents and their desire to return to their homeland a bit more sympathetically. However, in sum, this is a great story of a modern girl's coming of age in her culturally mixed world.
—Rll52014_mollyharris
"Tea With Milk" is the story of a young Japanese American girl named May who grows up in America. She experiences both Japanese and American culture as she eats rice and drinks green tea for breakfast at home and eats pancakes and drinks tea with milk at her friends' houses. When now eighteen-year-old May's parents decide to return to Japan, May finds herself immersed in a totally new culture where she is made to wear an uncomfortable kimono, practice calligraphy, and settle for skipping college and instead getting married and having a family. The struggle between the two cultures May experiences is a very interesting perspective. I am used to reading stories about people who immigrate to the United States and have to experience American culture for the first time, not the other way around. What an interesting thing to move to a country where your parents were raised, your actual homeland, and not being able to fit in. Worst of all, May completely had to change the way she saw her life and all the goals she had for herself. Instead of being an independent, educated young woman, she was facing a life that was completely different and less rewarding.Luckily, May takes it upon herself to change her new life and moves to Osaka. There she finds a job, gets an apartment, and even meets someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with. The moral of the story is that your home isn't somewhere you live, it's wherever you want it to be and it's with whomever you choose. The illustrations in this book are a great representation of the characters' feelings. My favorite is on page 7, where May is wearing a kimono for the first time. Her slightly angled position and facial expression are perfect, displaying her unhappiness and how uncomfortable she is. Physically she may look the part, but it is still a new experience for her. Allen Say's book tells the actual story of his mother's experiences living in both the United States and Japan. It ties in nicely with his Caldecott Award-winning book, "Grandfather's Journey."
—Leane
