Read page 8. Page 8 ends with, “...when I grew up.”
6.
Teacher asks: What did the author’s mother teach her son to do?
Students answer: The author’s mother taught her son to read.
7.
Teacher asks: What did the author read for hours?
Students answer: The author read comic books for hours.
8.
Teacher asks: Was the author’s mother able to keep her son at home? Explain why or why not.
Students answer (answers may vary but should resemble the following): Yes, the author’s mother was able to keep her son at home by teaching him how to read. His love of reading comic books kept him inside.
Read pages 9-11. Page 11 ends with, “...its title.”
Picture captions, such as those on page 10 appear throughout the book. After reading the narrative text on each page, teachers are encouraged to read the captions as well, ideally while showing students the accompanying illustrations.
9.
Teacher asks: Where did the author’s mother take him when bombs started to fall on their city?
Students answer (all of the following are acceptable):
- She took him to a village named Tabuse.
- She took him to the country.
- She took him to her uncle’s house.
10.
Teacher asks: What was the uncle of the author’s mother like?
Students answer: He was mean and stingy.
11.
Teacher asks: What did the author, his mother, and his sister do in the uncle’s big house for a whole year?
Students answer: They tried to hide from the uncle.
12.
Teacher asks: Later in life, the author wrote a story called Once Under the Cherry Blossom Tree. Who is it about?
Students answer: It is about the uncle of the author’s mother.
14.
Teacher asks: Was the author’s time away from home a good experience or a bad experience? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
Students answer: Answers may vary, as long as they are supported by the book. Students may argue that the experience was good because it allowed the author to escape the bombing of his city and gave him something to write a story about later on. On the other hand, students may argue that the experience was bad. The great-uncle he stayed with was mean, and the author spent a year trying to hide from him.
Read pages 12-14. Page 14 ends with, “...in Tokyo.”
15.
Teacher asks: Where was the author sent to stay?
Students answer: The author was sent to stay with his grandmother in Tokyo. (If students respond simply that the author was sent to stay in Tokyo, ask whom he was sent to live with.)
16.
Teacher says (models thinking): Earlier we read about the author going to stay with his uncle in the country. Now we read that he was going to stay with his grandmother in Tokyo, a big city in Japan. Those are two considerable journeys, especially for a child. I wonder what effect moving around this way had on the author. As we keep reading, think about the impact that the author’s journeys had on him.
Read page 15. Page 15 ends with, “...for the first time.”
17.
Teacher asks: How did the author’s grandmother feel when the author came to live with her?
Students answer: She felt unhappy.
18.
Teacher asks: What did the author’s grandmother say she would do if the author studied hard and got accepted to Aoyama Middle School?
Students answer (either of the following is acceptable):
- She said that he would be allowed to live alone.
- She said that she and his mother would rent an apartment for him.
19.
Teacher asks: What did the author start doing for the first time?
Students answer: The author started studying. (Students may also mention that the author quit drawing.)
20.
Teacher asks: Did the author like the idea of living on his own in an apartment? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
Students answer: Answers should be in the affirmative, though evidence may vary. All students should be able to at least recognize the author’s decision to start studying for the first time as an indication of his eagerness to live on his own.
Read pages 16-19. Page 19 ends with, “...my art studio!”
22.
Teacher asks: Where did the author move after leaving his grandmother’s house?
Students answer: The author moved into his own apartment. (Students may provide additional details, such as a “one-room” apartment known as “the Eel’s Bed.”)
23.
Teacher asks: How did the author feel when he went to his new apartment?
Students answer: Responses may vary but should recognize that the author was happy.
24.
Teacher asks: The apartment was supposed to be a place for the author to study, but what does he write it is going to be instead?
Students answer: He writes that it is going to be his art studio.
25.
Teacher asks: What is an art studio?
Students answer: An art studio is a place where an artist works. (If students struggle with this question, prompt them by asking what the author loved doing and what he might have been looking forward to now that he had his own apartment.)
26.
Teacher asks: The author wanted to make his apartment into an art studio. What does that information suggest about how interested he was in becoming an artist?
Students answer: Responses may vary but should indicate that the author was very interested in becoming an artist.
27.
Teacher asks: We have already mentioned two journeys taken by the author. One was going to live with his uncle, and the other was going to live with his grandmother. Is moving into his own apartment another example of a journey? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the book.
Students answer (answers may vary but should resemble the following): Yes, the author moving into his own apartment is another example of a journey. He went from one place to another, which is the definition of a journey.
28.
Teacher asks: How was this journey different from the author’s earlier journeys?
Students answer (responses may vary and include the following):
- This time the author was on his own.
- This time the author was not around a mean relative.
- This time the author was able to turn the place where he was staying into an art studio.
Read pages 20-22 and begin reading page 23. Stop after the second paragraph, ending with the words, “...then fainted away.”
29.
Teacher asks: Describe Tokida [tow-key-dah].
Students answer: At minimum, students should respond that Tokida was a boy in high school who drew pictures.
30.
Teacher asks: What did Tokida do after his father yelled at his son, “No more comic books! No more drawing!”
Students answer: At minimum, students should respond that Tokida left home.
31.
Teacher asks: Where did Tokida go after he left home?
Students answer: Tokida went to Tokyo. (Students may give a more specific response, such as “a newspaper company in Tokyo.”)
32.
Teacher asks: Who was Noro Shinpei [noh-row sheen-pay]?
Students answer: Noro Shinpei was one of the most famous cartoonists in Japan. (“A cartoonist” is an acceptable, though less preferable, answer.)
33.
Teacher asks: What did Noro Shinpei say to Tokida?
Students answer (answers may vary in wording but should resemble the following): Noro Shinpei said that he would teach Tokida if Tokida was interested.
34.
Teacher asks: Did Tokida go on a journey? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the book.
Students answer: Yes, Tokida went from his home in Osaka to Tokyo. Going from one place to another is the definition of a journey, so Tokida’s walk counts as one.
35.
Teacher asks: How does Tokida’s journey compare to the journey the author just made to his new apartment?
Students answer (responses may vary and include the following):
- Tokida made his journey without any help, but the author had help from the mover and his grandmother.
- The author was making a journey to an apartment of his own, but Tokida did not have anywhere to live where he was going.
- The journeys that Tokida and the author made were related to art. Tokida made his journey because he wanted to be a cartoonist, and the author wanted to make his new apartment into an art studio.
Finish reading page 23 and continue through page 25. Page 25 ends with, “...a man’s voice ordered.”
37.
Teacher asks: Who was the author’s favorite cartoonist?
Students answer: The author’s favorite cartoonist was Noro Shinpei.
39.
Teacher asks: Who was the “great man” the author was thinking about?
Students answer: The great man was Noro Shinpei.
40.
Teacher asks: Who was the student Noro Shinpei had already taken on?
Students answer: The student was Tokida.
41.
Teacher asks: Where did the author go before school started?
Students answer: The author went to the address of Noro Shinpei.
42.
Teacher asks: Why might the author have gone to Noro Shinpei? Before you answer, think about what the author wanted to become in life and what happened to Tokida. Also, think about the author’s question, “Would the great man take on another student?”
Students answer: Answers may vary but should recognize that the author probably went to Noro Shinpei in the hope of becoming his student.
Read pages 26 and 27. Page 27 ends with, “...anyone else, either.”
44.
Teacher asks: What did Noro mean by saying that Kiyoi was Tokida’s new partner?
Students answer (answers may vary but should resemble the following): Noro meant that Kiyoi was now a student, like Tokida, so he and Tokida were partners.
45.
Teacher asks: Was Kiyoi going to Noro Shinpei an example of journey? Explain why or why not.
Students answer: Responses may vary but should recognize that Kiyoi going to Noro Shinpei was an example of a journey. Not only was Kiyoi traveling somewhere new, he was making a personal journey toward the future he wanted.
46.
Teacher asks: What was the outcome of this journey?
Students answer: Noro Shinpei took on Kiyoi as a student.
To avoid confusion among students, you may wish to clarify the author’s use of the term “Sensei.” Now that Noro has taken on Kiyoi as a student, he is referred to as “Sensei.” “Sensei” is a Japanese word that means “teacher.”
Read pages 28-30. Page 30 ends with, “...back to our room.”
48.
Teacher asks: Who were Sensei’s visitors?
Students answer: Sensei’s visitors were magazine editors, photographers, and other cartoonists.
49.
Teacher asks: What did Kiyoi do when Sensei’s visitors came?
Students answer: Kiyoi sat and listened to the visitors talk.
50.
Teacher asks: How did Kiyoi feel when he sat and listened to Sensei’s visitors talk? Keep your ears open for clues as I reread this sentence from the book: “I sat and listened to famous men talk and felt like a celebrity myself.”
Students answer: Responses may vary but should recognize that Kiyoi felt important and famous himself.
Read pages 31-35. Page 35 ends with, “...tell him anything?”
51.
Teacher asks: Whom did Kiyoi tell his mother about?
Students answer: Kiyoi told his mother about Sensei.
52.
Teacher asks: How did Kiyoi’s mother feel about him being Sensei’s student?
Students answer: Kiyoi’s mother felt very happy about Kiyoi being Sensei’s student.
54.
Teacher asks: What did Kiyoi’s mother try to do when Kiyoi was a little boy and she was worried about him drowning?
Students answer: Kiyoi’s mother tried to keep him at home.
55.
Teacher asks: Was Kiyoi’s mother still trying to keep Kiyoi at home when he was studying with Sensei? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): No, Kiyoi’s mother was not trying to keep him at home. She was paying for his own apartment and very happy to hear that he was studying under a sensei.
56.
Teacher asks: What was the lesson that Kiyoi’s mother thought she learned from the saying, “Let your dear child journey”?
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): Kiyoi’s mother learned that letting her son interact with the world on his own was important.
57.
Teacher says (models thinking): Kiyoi’s journeys have been an important part of this book so far, which makes me think that this saying about journeying is important too. Keep it in mind as we read more about Kiyoi’s journeying.
Read pages 36-40. Page 40 ends with, “...I said.”
58.
Teacher asks: Where did Kiyoi and Tokida go exploring?
Students answer: Kiyoi and Tokida went exploring in Tokyo.
59.
Teacher asks: What did they see in an art gallery?
Students answer: They saw Van Gogh paintings. (“They saw paintings” is also an acceptable response.)
Read pages 41-45. Page 45 ends with, “...until it got dark.”
61.
Teacher asks: What did Kiyoi and Tokida hear near the Ginza, or main shopping area?
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): They heard a mob.
62.
Teacher asks: What was the crowd that Kiyoi and Tokida heard doing?
Students answer (responses may vary and include the following):
- The crowd was demonstrating.
- The crowd was getting into a marching formation.
- The crowd was shouting.
63.
Teacher asks: What happened to Kiyoi and Tokida when they went to see the mob?
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): They got caught up in the demonstration.
64.
Teacher asks: Think about what happened to Kiyoi when he went exploring in Tokyo. Was that exploration a journey? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the book.
Students answer: Responses may vary, as long as they are supported by the book. Students may respond that Kiyoi’s exploration of Tokyo was not a journey because he already lived there and was not traveling to a new place. Conversely, students may respond that Kiyoi’s exploration of Tokyo was a journey because it led him to new discoveries and experiences in Tokyo.
Read pages 46-51. Page 51 ends with, “...with my answer.”
66.
Teacher asks: Where was Kiyoi’s father planning to immigrate, or move?
Students answer: Kiyoi’s father was planning to immigrate to America.
67.
Teacher asks: What did Kiyoi’s father ask Kiyoi in a letter?
Students answer: Kiyoi’s father asked Kiyoi whether Kiyoi would like to come to America with him.
Read page 52. Page 52 ends with, “...he shouted.”
68.
Teacher asks: What was the first thing Sensei said when Kiyoi told him about his father asking him to go to America?
Students answer: Sensei said, “Wonderful.”
70.
Teacher asks: Think about the comment Sensei made. Why might he have believed that going to America would be wonderful for Kiyoi?
Students answer (responses may vary but should resemble the following): Sensei thought that traveling to America would teach Kiyoi something.
Read page 53. Page 53 ends with, “...in Yokohama.”
71.
Teacher asks: What did Kiyoi’s grandmother say when she heard about Kiyoi’s father asking him to go to America?
Students answer (responses may vary in wording but should resemble the following): She said that he was too young to leave home.
72.
Teacher asks: How did Kiyoi’s mother feel when she heard about Kiyoi’s father asking him to go to America?
Students answer (responses may vary in wording but should resemble the following): She felt excited and happy.
73.
Teacher asks: Think about the offer Kiyoi received from his father. Would going to America be a journey? Explain why or why not.
Students answer: Yes, going to America would be a journey. Kiyoi would be going from one place to another, which is the definition of a journey.
74.
Teacher asks: How would a journey to America be different from the other journeys Kiyoi had taken?
Students answer (responses may vary and include the following):
- A journey to America would be different because it would be a much farther journey than any Kiyoi had already taken.
- A journey to America would be different because it would be Kiyoi’s choice to make the journey, unlike going to live with his great-uncle and grandmother.
75.
Teacher asks: Should Kiyoi make this journey to America? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the book.
Students answer: Answers may vary, as long as they are supported by the book. Students may respond that Kiyoi should make the journey to America, arguing that that Sensei was right when he said that traveling is the greatest teacher of all. Conversely, students may respond that Kiyoi should not go to America because he would have to live with his father there. After abandoning Kiyoi’s mother and not including Kiyoi in his family for a long time, Kiyoi’s father seems untrustworthy.
Read pages 54-56. Page 56 ends with, “...like Kyusuke.”
77.
Teacher asks: Listen again to Sensei’s final words to Kiyoi: “Remember that no man is entirely free of anything. Artists are bound to their art. Be true to your art, Kiyoi, and journey well.” What did Sensei mean when he told Kiyoi to journey well?
Students answer (responses may vary and include the following):
- Sensei meant that when Kiyoi moved to a new place, he should continue to make art.
- Sensei meant that Kiyoi should make a good use of his time in America.
- Sensei meant that Kiyoi should explore and grow through his new experiences.
Read page 57, the last page of the story.
78.
Teacher asks: What were some of the journeys that Kiyoi made throughout the book?
Students answer (responses may vary and include the following):
- Kiyoi made a journey from the place where his grandmother lived to his own apartment.
- Kiyoi made a journey from his own apartment to Noro Shinpei.
- Kiyoi explored Tokyo with Tokida, looking at Van Gogh paintings and getting caught up in a demonstration.
79.
Teacher asks: What were some similarities among the journeys that Kiyoi made? Support your answer with examples from the book.
Students answer (responses may vary and include the following):
- Kiyoi made some journeys because his family forced him to. Moving in with his mother’s uncle and moving in with his grandmother are both examples of this kind of journey.
- Kiyoi made some journeys because he wanted to. Moving in to his own apartment and going to meet Noro Shinpei are both examples of this kind of journey.
80.
Teacher asks: Was journeying important to Kiyoi’s life? Explain why or why not, using evidence from the book.
Students answer: Responses may vary but should recognize that journeying was important to Kiyoi’s life. For example, his journey to Noro Shinpei put him on the path to becoming a professional cartoonist.
