Grandfather's Story Cloth

 

Grandfather's Story Cloth

Yawg Daim Paj Ntaub Dab Neeg

Written by  Linda Gerdner and Sarah Langford

Illustrated by Stuart Loughridge

Shen's Books, 2008

32 Pages

Multicultural Literature (Asain-Vietnamese)

          Grandfather's Story Cloth tells the story of Chersheng, a young boy who tries to stay connected with his grandfather who is struggling with Alzheimer's Disease. Chersheng frequently comes home from school to show his grandfather his art, only to find him in the backyard gathering wood to cook dinner or hiding treasure, thinking he is still in Laos. Chersheng's grandfather was one of the Hmong tribe who lived in Laos during the Vietnam War. These tribes were eventually forced from their homes. One day Chersheng gets very upset when his grandfather forgets who Chersheng is. It is at this point that his mother remember the story cloth, a cloth his grandfather made a long time ago that told of his family's history. Through this cloth Chersheng is able to connect with his grandfather and his past. Chersheng suggests that they make a new story cloth, but his grandfather refuses, explaining that he left his sewing behind when he came to America. The next day, when grandfather forgets again and thinks he is in Laos, Chersheng creates a new story cloth to remind his grandfather of his new life in America. 

          This book is unique in that it has two translations of the story written on each page. It uses a very formal layout. The illustrations appear to be a type of watercolor or something similar and are very non-descript with minimal lines. My favorite page is the double-page spread of the story cloth. The illustrator ends the book with Chersheng's story cloth which is a nice touch. 

          This book could be used when discussing the effects of the Vietnam War and what happened to the people who had to leave. Many families in America are here because of their grandparents fleeing oppression in other countries. This book shares the story of one such family and could be used to open discussion of such matters. A teacher could encourage their students to talk to their grandparents about life when they were growing up. Family heritage is somewhat of a dying art in today's culture and this is a great way to encourage students to see where their family has come from. It could also be used when talking about different diseases, Alzheimer's Disease specifically, and their effects on the family. There is a brief discussion in the back that discusses both Alzheimer's Disease and the history of the Hmong tribe's story cloths.