Drawn Together by Minh Lê


1. Bibliography: Lê Minh, Drawn Together. Ill Dan Santat. Disney Hyperion. Los Angeles. 2018. ISBN: 9781484767603


2. Plot Summary:
Having a hard time connecting to one another this grandfather and grandson, soon find a common ground. Combining two worlds into one, so they discover a bond that others cannot understand.

3. Characters:
Grandfather is a dynamic character in the story. With his way of drawing he can relate to his grandson on a different level. This supports the two worlds coming together.

The grandson is the protagonist in the story. He is continually exhibiting the contrary of older Asian generation’s culture. 

4. Setting:
The setting is at the grandfather’s house. There are several examples that compare and contrast the older Asian generation’s culture versus the younger Asian generation. When the grandson sits down to eat the illustrations show the differences in the type of food. The grandfather has a more traditional meal with a Pho soup and chopsticks, and the grandson has a hotdog and fries with a fork. When there is dialect between the two characters, grandfather speaks his native language and the grandson speaks English. When they sit down and draw together the reader can see the different styles of art work, and the generational differences on how they view their culture.

5. Illustrations:
The illustrations are so drastic in showing not only the Asian culture, but the generational differences. The illustrator uses colored markers and water colors to represent the younger Asian culture. The use of black pen and black ink brush work represents the grandfather. This style of brush work resonates the more traditional artwork. When comparing the illustrations, the style of the ninjas symbolizes the generation gap. The grandfather’s ninja is in a more traditional Asian outfit and traditional Asian drawings, and the grandson’s ninja is more cartoon like with solid colors in his outfit and bold colors.

6. Theme:
The theme that is throughout the story is family relations. The author is trying to make a statement that even though it seems that there are too many differences and that the two generations cannot relate. If one digs deep enough there is always something that can bring you together. The drawings of the two words that come together to make one is that example in the story.

7. Cultural marker:
The stereotypes are purposely created to explain the generational differences. The grandfather symbolizes the traditional Asian culture and the grandson symbolizes the younger modern Asian culture. The authenticity is very apparent by uniquely showing the outlook of the two generations with the Asian culture; i.e. with food, TV, and drawing. The book correlates facts about this culture in a positive way even with the generational diversities.  There are no source notes. The biographical summary provides information that qualifies the author and the illustrator to epitomize this culture. Both characters are depicted as equals in society. The non-English words are written in their cultural language. It is unknown if it is used correctly because I cannot read it, or know how to translate it. It does flow in the story because the grandson asks if there is anything new, and it is the grandfather’s response. The author is symbolizing this particular event because it highlighting the differences in the two characters. This is very high quality. Any young person can have a distant relationship with their elders because of the age differences.

8. Connections Teacher and Library Corner:
Students will use the writing process to complete this project. The students will brain storm differences they have with a grandparent, or an elder. The students need to include in their writing describe the differences, why there is a difference, and how can they come together with this difference. Once the writing process is complete, they will create a picture using different medians to show this difference.

9. You Tube:

Here is the illustrator talking about his inspirations to create the pictures in this book. 




10. Review Excerpts:
“Perfectly paced to express universal emotions that connect generations separated by time, experience, and even language.” School Library Journal

“A Visual Language that Speaks profoundly to readers.” Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"A fun story time selection for audiences with a good sense of humor." School Library Journal

"Focus on an underrepresented culture; highly accessible emotions; concise, strong storytelling; and artistic magnificence make this a must have." Booklist

11. Children’s Reviews:
“The boy was not excited to go to his grandpa’s house. Soon they had a similarity of good drawing and then they loved each other. I liked the book because I liked that just because you don’t like each other, but you can bond together.” Thomas age 12

12. Awards and Recognitions:
2019 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature
2019 Frostburg State Children’s Literature Centre Award
2019 Southern CA Independent Booksellers Association
2019 Anna Dewdney Read Together Award honor
2019 Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Children’s Books
2019 Charlotte Huck Award Recommended book
2019 CHHIBBER Medal

13. Book Suggestions by Minh Lê
Let Me Finish ISBN: 97814847217335

Other books:
The Adventures of Beekle the Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat ISBN: 978-0316199988
Vietnamese Children’s Favorite Stories by Phuoc Thi Mihn Tran ISBN: 9780804844291

14. Official Website:
Check out what Minh Lê is working on next at his official website.
Love the illustrations from Dan Santat? Check out all the other amazing projects he has done.

15. Rating:
I give this book 5 stars. This is one of the sweetest books to connect to an older generation.

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