Tea with Milk

Book Review:  Tea with Milk

CITATION:

Say, Allen. Tea with Milk. New York: Walter Lorraine Books, 1999. ISBN: 0395904951

SUMMARY:

Masako (May) is a young girl growing up in California, dreaming of the day when she can move to the big city of San Francisco. However, her parents are from Japan and dream of going back home. One day, when she is a teenager, they move back to Japan, but Masako (who likes to be called “May”) can’t speak their language, must go back to high school there, and doesn’t like Japan. Her life changes when she courageously decides to forge her own path and get a job in Osaka, a big city in Japan. Her understanding of the English language helps her get a job she enjoys and even helps her finally meet someone who understands her. Masako is a complex character who reveals her thoughts and struggles in the pages of this book overcomes a great deal to find her way in a world where she feels like a foreigner.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

In Tea with Milk by Allen Say, the story is told about a Japanese American girl named Masako (May) who identifies more as an American than as Japanese. We learn that this girl turns out to be Say’s mother, and Tea with Milk shows her story, and how she did not embrace traditional Japanese culture. She even took her tea with milk, instead of green tea like her parents. When Masako graduated high school, her parents moved the family back to Japan. Sadly, May did not want to go and did not like her new home. Her peers at school called her a foreigner, she didn’t make friends, and she wanted to speak English. One day she decides to leave “like an American daughter.” Her courage is rewarded when she finally gets a job she enjoys. Of course, it is a position that allows her to speak English and meet others who appreciate her background in America and duality with Japan. She even meets a man who proves to be a great partner in life.

The cultural markers found in Tea with Milk are many. We see Masako in the story as a beautiful and hopeful young woman wearing kimonos in one picture, and high-fashion attire found in San Francisco on another page. The architecture depicted in the big Japanese city of Osaka are grand with chandeliers and geometric figures. We see Japanese writing on the buildings and a Japanese flag hanging from a building. The men who are pictured with Masako when she becomes employed show different facial features that resemble variations of Japanese people. Some with darker skin, lighter skin, taller, shorter, glasses and some with facial hair. Say does an excellent job of not stereotyping the look of a Japanese person. He gives each person in the book a unique look.

Say’s painting in Tea with Milk share the same style as his writing, which is clear, straight-forward, and consistent with his even-keeled tone. Each page features writing on one side and a large picture on the other side, creating a predictable reading experience.

This book shows themes of homesickness, independence, courage, and love. With a satisfying ending, Tea with Milk shows us the honest picture of a girl who is feels like a “foreigner.”  This excellent book is enjoyable for children to read, and it is sure to help them think critically about the experience of being a foreigner.

REVIEWS AND AWARDS:

ALA Notable Children’s Book 2000

Publishers Weekly:

“Say's masterfully executed watercolors tell as much of this story about a young woman's challenging transition from America to Japan as his eloquent, economical prose. Raised near San Francisco, Masako (her American friends called her May) is uprooted after high school when her parents return to their Japanese homeland. In addition to repeating high school to learn Japanese, she must learn the arts of a ""proper Japanese lady""--flower arranging, calligraphy and the tea ceremony--and is expected to marry well. Declaring ""I'd rather have a turtle than a husband,"" the independent-minded Masako heads for the city of Osaka and gets a job in a department store. With his characteristic subtlety, Say sets off his cultural metaphor from the very start, contrasting the green tea Masako has for breakfast in her home, with the ""tea with milk and sugar"" she drinks at her friends' houses in America. Later, when she meets a young Japanese businessman who also prefers tea with milk and sugar to green tea, readers will know that she's met her match.”

Kirkus Reviews:

“In describing how his parents met, Say continues to explore the ways that differing cultures can harmonize; raised near San Francisco and known as May everywhere except at home, where she is Masako, the child who will grow up to be Say's mother becomes a misfit when her family moves back to Japan. Rebelling against attempts to force her into the mold of a traditional Japanese woman, she leaves for Osaka, finds work as a department store translator, and meets Joseph, a Chinese businessman who not only speaks English, but prefers tea with milk and sugar, and persuades her that "home isn't a place or a building that's ready-made or waiting for you, in America or anywhere else." Painted with characteristic control and restraint, Say's illustrations, largely portraits, begin with a sepia view of a sullen child in a kimono, gradually take on distinct, subdued color, and end with a formal shot of the smiling young couple in Western dress.”

CONNECTIONS:

A follow-up for this book would be to have children interview a person from another country and ask them about their experiences with coming to America. Afterwards, they could create their own book or report to the class what they’ve learned. Tea with Milk could be a starting point for a unit on Americans from other countries.