How My Parents Learned to Eat (Rise and Shine)

This book looks at the immigrant experience from a unique angle: a boy wonders how his American dad and his Japanese mother learned to share one another's worlds. He does this by focusing on the differences in foods and eating utensils and the roller coaster of feelings they probably had as each made "assumptions" about the other's thoughts and emotions. As in the other two stories reviewed in this post, characters are divided by language yet still mange to communicate--although after some miscues and erroneous "translations." Reading Rainbow selected the book as a featured story.#AAQ Lens: For adopted children this book can offer a less intensely associated experience being a "foreigner." This time instead of presenting it from a child's point of view (which tends to make it easier to identify with and place themselves in their experience,) the story unfolds through the adults. This places an extra layer of emotional distance which may make it more comfortable for the child to explore the ideas and emotions the story raises. --Gayle H. Swift, "ABC, Adoption & Me: A Multicultural Picture Book"

I remember seeing this book on Reading Rainbow as a child and checking it out from the school library. I now read this to my daughter and have added it to her collection.

Unrealistic and racist portrayal of a young Asian girl and her ability to use intuitive cutlery like the spoon, knife, and fork. The girl can’t even spoon soup into her mouth, despite the fact that Japanese cuisine includes soup, which is regularly eaten with spoons. Laughable. Try again.

I read this years ago for a project I was working on about different types of families. It is a sweet book about 2 people from different cultures learning to eat like the other. The things we do for love! It's a sweet story.

As a family that spends their time between 3 cultures, we can relate to that.The Japanese part is awesome because it does show the differences that a foreigner is to learn and understand, and we loved the Japanese lunch with all the miso soups and sushi :)The American part is great too.And the kid, well, the last part you have to read yourself, it's cute :)

Cute story that can help explain different cultures. My third graders were able to connect this book in their reading, writing and special studies units of learning.

This is a delightful tale of cultural confusion and the thrill of a secret project. It's also a love story. A parent reading to a child will sense the literary structure of a well told tale. O Henry (without the irony) comes to mind. Lovely, clear pictures.

I remembered this story from when I was young, first seeing it on Reading Rainbow. It is a touching story about two people from two cultures who fall in love. They are willing to compromise and learn about the other's culture. A great lesson for children about tolerance, respect and compromise. The recipe for a TRUE love story.

冒頭で，小学１年ぐらいの女の子が登場します。我が家では，箸でご飯を食べたり，フォークとナイフで食べたりします。なぜそうか，分けを話します，といってこの絵本がはじまります。　素敵な恋愛ものです。英語は，英米の小学１年程度です。