Melissa Iwai

Gigi can’t wait for her mother’s father, her grandfather, to arrive from Japan to live with them. But Ojiisan isn’t at all what the biracial girl expected. How grandfather and granddaughter learn about the other is affirming and heartwarming in this easier to read tale.

Gigi’s full name is Geraldine Hanako. Her grandfather, Ojiji, can say Gigi’s middle name easily and it is shorter than her first name – at least when it’s written in Japanese. What will Gigi decide when she wants to be rid of her “baby” name?  Readers will appreciate the dilemma as they glimpse into one Japanese American family.

A mother and her child get the ingredients for soup on a snowy day and then add everything to the pot. The pair plays snug and warm while the soup simmers until Dad comes home when they enjoy soup together. Crisp collage and a simple text make for a cozy read.