Great Grandfather's House

by Rumer Godden, Valerie Littlewood (Illustrator)

When she learns that she is to spend three months at her grandparents' house in rural Japan, Keiko, a spoiled city child, is unhappy, but she soon changes her mind. By the author of Four Dolls.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens

76 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Margaret Rumer Godden was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
A few of her works were co-written with her elder sister, novelist Jon Godden, including Two Under the Indian Sun, a memoir of the Goddens' childhood in a region of India now part of Bangladesh.

Reviews

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

this is the kind of book you read to a young child to teach them to not be an insufferable brat. I thought there would be a bit more culture, but alas, not.

[Artemis Zhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this in second grade and never stop reading this over and over again. Great Grandfather's House is a sweet moral story about a Japanese city girl named Keiko. When she goes to live with her cousin temporarily at her great grandfather and great grandmother's house in rural Japan, she tries to get used to the country lifestyle and she works hard to train herself to become more graceful and gentle.
I can relate to this because like Keiko and her problem with gentleness and gracefulness, I used to have a lot of trouble with math in second grade, and when I started doing these math help things, (Websites, worksheets, etc.) I didn't like it one bit! But as I got older, I worked harder and I started to understand mathematics better and soon my grades rose to as they are now.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Grandfather's House by Rumer Godden is a charming story about Keiko, a willful little Japanese girl who is sent by her parents to live in the country with her great grandfather and great grandmother and her cousin Yoji. Keiko lives in the city and is not pleased at going to the country where her elders still follow the old ways. The book tells how she adjusts to a completely different way of life.

[Jean Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story with the same writer/ illustrator duo as Fu-Dog.

[Jennifer Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spoiled city girl must adjust to living with her old-fashioned great-grandparents in rural Japan. Well-written, with nice illustrations. Ages 8 and up.

[Matt W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well told story, though more directed towards children. Somehow, very calming.

3.5/5

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In case you've missed my other comments about Rumer Godden's childrens' books, here are the basics. I love her children's books just as much as her novels for adults. Godden has a knack for incorporating local culture, awkward and unappreciated people, and interesting plot with a lovely prose style. She is unafraid to have her characters behave naturally which means that a story's crisis points will often leave readers feeling very uncomfortable because they recognize the behavior so well and dread the consequences thereof. Godden also is good at avoiding the "nice" sentimentality which can pervade children's books. Her world is always very real.

This is a tale for younger children than most of Godden's children's books that I enjoy. Still, I could appreciate the way Japanese culture is conveyed just through the adventure Keiko has when she is sent to the country to live with her elderly relatives.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised at how badly this book was written. The plot seemed disjointed and jumpy, with scenes switching abruptly. Awkward phrases gave the feel of a book that was originally written in another language and poorly translated into English. It would have been a nice little story had it been written better. Disappointing, especially since the illustrations were so charming.