Drawn Together

Written by MINH LÊ
Illustrated by DAN SANTAT
Reviewed by Maddie McBride (LC MAT 2020-2021)

At first glance, one might think that this story is simply about a strong connection between a grandfather and a grandson. However, within the first few pages, just through illustration, we learn that their connection was not always as close as the cover led us to believe. Minh Lê shows us the divide that he felt between him and his grandfather due to their generational, cultural, and language differences. When the young boy in the story seems to have given up on trying to communicate with his grandfather, we are launched into a world of art as the two connect over a shared passion and hobby.

Many immigrants and diverse families face a similar divide between generations here in the United States. Many children, like my own mother, were or are unable to communicate with their grandparents due to a difference in language, rendering the opportunity to learn about their heritage, identity, and each other nearly impossible. Whether in multi-generational households or just across town, many of our students feel the strain these differences between family members can cause.  Through the few, yet powerful words and incredible illustrations in Drawn Together, Minh Lê has created a window where there was once a wall, both for students who feel lost in their own experiences with these difficulties and for those that are simply onlookers. Drawn Together captures a piece of the identity web that many classrooms have yet to tackle and it does so in style.

2 thoughts on “Drawn Together

  1. I love that this book addresses the generational language barrier that occurs within families. It is tragic, yet showing a bond between a boy and his grandfather despite the challenge of language is heartwarming. These are the types of books I want to share in my classroom, where kids are able to see themselves in their unique situations.

  2. I love this idea of “creating a window where there was once a wall.” This is such a hopeful metaphor, and can be applied to so many things, but for the students for whom this book is a mirror I can see this book being profoundly relatable and may inspire them to chip away at those walls that separate them from the older generations of their family and find the windows.

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