Drawing From Memory

 Title: Drawing from Memory
written and illustrated by: Allen Say
 grades 3-5
 
About the author:He is the recipient of the Caldecott Medal for GRANDFATHER'S JOURNEY, and also won a Caldecott Honor and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for THE BOY OF THE THREE-YEAR NAP (written by Dianne Snyder). Many of Allen’s stories are derived from his own experiences as a child. His other books include THE BICYCLE MAN, TEA WITH MILK, and TREE OF CRANES, hailed by The Horn Book in a starred review as “the achievement of a master in his prime.” Allen’s recent book, ERIKA-SAN, received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
 http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/121814.Allen_Say


Summary: The book is Allen Say's own story of his path to becoming the renowned artist he is today. Shunned by his father, who didn't understand his son's artistic leanings, Allen was embraced by Noro Shinpei, Japan's leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as his "spiritual father." As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous drawing classes, studied, trained--and ultimately came to understand who he really is. 

My reaction:  A wonderful true story autobiography of a man who overcame adversity to achieve his dreams despite the opinion of his family. This would be a great book to read to students about never giving up on a dream and hard work to achieve them.

Lesson idea: Have students write about what they want to be when they grow and how they plan to get there and also have them do research on a person with the same profession.