Say, Allen. TEA WITH MILK. New York: Walter Lorraine Books, 1999. ISBN 0395904951.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
May was born in the United States and has lived there all her life when her parents decide they are homesick and move the family back to Japan when May is a teenager. Now she doesn’t fit in at all. Although both her parents are from Japan and May speaks Japanese, she’s more American in the sight of her classmates and teachers than she is Japanese. She’s tired of trying to sit on the floor like a “proper Japanese lady” and is appalled when her parents hire a matchmaker to find her a proper husband. May feels like an outsider and longs to be an independent woman like she would have been in America where she would have graduated from high school and gone to college if her family had stayed there. One day, she puts on the brightest dress she has brought from the United States and sets out to find a life that fits who she wants to be. Will May find her place in this strange land that is foreign, but at the same time, “home”?
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Allen Say’s story about his mother’s journey toward finding “home” is a moving story. Filled with the heartache of her situation, May is sympathetically portrayed in both words and illustrations. Say describes May in realistic terms that help the reader understand the serious feelings she is experiencing without getting sappy or heavy handed. “Once they arrived in Japan, she felt even worse. Her new home was drafty, with windows made of paper. She had to wear kimonos and sit on floors until her legs went numb. No one called her May, and Masako sounded like someone else’s name. . . .I’ll never get used to this place, she thought with a heavy heart.” Writing teachers are constantly admonishing their students to “show, not tell” when they write. Say does an exceptional job of showing through his words what May is going through.
But his words are not the only story-tellers in this book. Say’s watercolor paintings are some of the most expressive paintings I’ve seen. The illustration accompanying the passage excerpted above is one of a hopelessly sad teenager who lives in a place that does not feel like home. The slight tilt to her head, the flat gaze lacking any spark, and the down turned mouth of girl who has exchanged dress for kimono and is surrounded by the trappings of a Japanese home all draw the reader into the life of this girl who is extremely unhappy. Together the words and illustrations take us through the life of a young woman who is born in the United States to Japanese parents, and who learns to find home and happiness in a world she did not choose.
Tea with Milk is generally stated as being for grades K-6, with Booklist placing it in the grades 4-8 age range. However, I am sure the students of immigrant families I work with in high school would be able to relate to the feelings May expresses. They are first generation Americans, having been born in the U.S. of parents born in other countries, and don’t feel quite right in either place. Students who feel out of step in both their birthplace (U.S.), and their parents’ birthplace (generally a Central American country), will relate to May and how hard it is to fit in when you don’t fit in.
My only complaint with Tea with Milk is the title. Throughout the book, Say uses the phrase “tea with milk and sugar.” I would have liked for the title to be the full phrase and wonder why he shortened it. Otherwise, this is a wonderful story of a young person trying to find a place in the world.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*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 . . . . Through choice words and scrupulously choreographed paintings, Say's story communicates both the heart's yearning for individuality and freedom and how love and friendship can bridge cultural chasms.”
*Library Journal: “This perfect marriage of artwork and text offers readers a window into a different place and time.”
*School Library Journal: “This is a thoughtful and poignant book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, particularly our nation's many immigrants who grapple with some of the same challenges as May and Joseph, including feeling at home in a place that is not their own.”
5. CONNECTIONS
• Before reading the book, show students the illustration on p. 7 where May is in Japan, dressed in traditional Japanese clothing in a Japanese home. Have students write their own story about this girl. What is she thinking? What is happening to her? After writing their own stories, read the book aloud and discuss similarities and differences between the book and the students’ stories.
• Have students write definitions of “home.” What does it mean when someplace feels like home? Students who are from parallel cultures may want to share their experiences with their classmates.
• May hates sitting on the floor in Japan where her legs go numb. Show students pictures from other cultures that include differences in foods, furniture, customs, etc. What is something you would particularly miss if you had to leave the culture of the U.S. to live somewhere else?
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