by Melissa Iwai
5 stars
A sweet story about a young girl developing a relationship with her grandfather after he comes from Japan to live with them. Gigi is excited to read with him, play tag, and teach her dog, Roscoe, new tricks. But when he arrives, he isn’t quite how she expected and she’s no longer sure about her plans.
This is a Level 3 I Can Read book characterized by “complex plots, challenging vocabulary, and high-interest topics for the independent reader”. Writing early readers can be difficult but this one nicely balances appropriate reading skills with an interesting story.
The story includes a few words in Japanese, which are defined in the text along with a glossary in the back. Adorable illustrations.
In the story, Gigi and her grandfather face a language barrier, cultural differences, and generational differences. It was so precious to watch Gigi and her Ojiisan get comfortable with one another. Excited to see how the series continues and to watch their relationship develop.