Thursday, February 16, 2023

Gigi and Ojiji (I Can Read!) by Melissa Iwai - ADVISABLE

Gigi and Ojiji (I Can Read!)
by Melissa Iwai
. EARLY READER HarperCollins. 2022. $17. 9780063208063 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

Gigi's grandfather (Ojijisan) is coming from Japan to live with them. Gigi hopes he will play tag, read books and help teach their dog Roscoe some new tricks. But when he arrives, Gigi has trouble remembering the Japanese words she's learned, and he old (no tag) speaks very little English (no book reading), and doesn't seem to like Gigi's dog. Gigi is worried her grandfather doesn't even like her. 

Besides being fun to read, this level 3 "I Can Read" book (designed for children who can read independently) is a great story about cultural differences - Gigi was confused when Ojiji put her gift in his pocket without opening it, and Ojiji was surprised when Gigi hugged him. Iwai, who both authored and illustrated this, has made the cutest pictures - I love the facial expressions of Gigi as she feels so many different emotions. Gigi is interracial, Ojiji is Japanese 

Lisa Librarian

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