My Grandfather's Song by Phùng Nguyên Quang (review)

Reviewed by: My Grandfather's Song by Phùng Nguyên Quang Sarah Sahn Quang, Phùng Nguyên My Grandfather's Song; written and illus. by Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huýnh Kim Liên. Make Me a World/Random House, 2023 Library ed. ISBN 9780593488621 $21.99 Trade ed. ISBN 9780593488614 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593488638 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. K-3 Long ago, Tí's grandfather came to the marshes and jungles of southern Vietnam to make a new home. The land was and still can be wild and full of dangers, but [End Page 67] Grandfather hears music in the cacophony of the forest: "This song is old, Tí. We listen, and the land responds with gifts." The settlers take part in the song when they cut bamboo to build homes, cultivate rice in the marshes, and take only what they need from the land to survive. Even when a storm tosses their small fishing boat, Grandfather hears the song, telling a frightened Tí that "You do not have to shout down the storm. Find its rhythm; sing with it." With lyrical prose and immersive, stylized art, married author-illustrator team Phùng Nguyên Quang and Huýnh Kim Liên skillfully deliver the message of living in harmony with nature. Tí and Grandfather are portrayed as small figures in sweeping landscapes, dwarfed by the tigers, turtles, fish, and birds they live alongside, making up only a small part of the perilous but beautiful natural world they inhabit. The metaphor of music sustains Tí's relationship with his grandfather (Tí's voice "weaves into the ballad around me, part of me") through his coming of age to take part in his community as an adult, even when his grandfather is gone. This gentle story of family and living alongside nature is a shoo-in for an eco-themed storytime, but it's equally suited to celebrating kids' relationships with their grandparents. Author's and editor's notes provide some background and thought-provoking questions to guide a discussion or challenge an independent reader. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois