Tea with Milk by Allen Say

Masako and her parents live in San Francisco, but her parents are homesick for Japan, so they decide to move back to their homeland. Masako, or May, wants to stay and go to college because America is the only home she has ever known. Once in Japan, things go downhill for May because she dislikes the food, the clothes, and her drafty home. Also, her mother is forcing her to marry a banker, which is the last straw for May. To escape her mother's grasp, she moves to the big city of Osaka and takes a job as an elevator girl. Eventually, she is given a job as a guide to foreign businessmen and meets another Japanese man who knows English because an English family had adopted him. They fall in love and decide to make a life in Japan together because "home isn't a place or building that's ready-made or waiting for you, in America or anywhere else." ("In describing how," 1999)

Critical Analysis

Tea with Milk is a picture book told in the third person narrative and is based on the author's mother's experiences. The plot is simple, and themes include cultural identity and immigration. It is rich in cultural details regarding Japanese culture during the mid-twentieth century. There are references to Japanese food, architecture, and dress. Author and illustrator Allen Say's drawings are intricate to the point that many look like photographs, which include detailed Japanese buildings and clothes. Colors include shades of black, pink, purple, blue, and beige that are remarkably well used, especially regarding authentic skin tones like tanned skin for Japanese and light skin for white Americans. Likewise, Say won the Notable Children's Book Award by the American Library Association in 2000 for Tea with Milk.

The story's strength is that it provides a unique perspective for children who grew up between cultures. Its weakness is that we do not get to see the rest of May's life. Readers may enjoy The Tea Party in the Woods by Japanese author Akiko Miyakoshi.

References

"In describing how" (1999, April 1). Tea with Milk. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/allen-say/tea-with-milk/

Say, A. (2009). Tea With Milk. Clarion Books.