The House of Sixty Fathers
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Book Overview
The House of Sixty Fathers could be the story of any child in any war. This award-winning novel, which includes expressive pictures by Maurice Sendak, brings readers the story of Tien Pao. His faith, courage, and unwillingness to surrender his belief in the impossible continue to resonate. Tien Pao is all alone in enemy territory. Only a few days before, his family had escaped from the Japanese army, fleeing downriver by boat. Then came the terrible rainstorm. Tien Pao was fast asleep in the little sampan when the boat broke loose from its moorings and drifted right back to the Japanese soldiers. With only his lucky pig for company, Tien Pao must begin a long and dangerous journey in search of his home and family. Awarded a Newbery Honor medal, The House of Sixty Fathers is based on Meindert DeJong's experience during World War II. DeJong was official historian for the Chinese-American Composite Wing when he met and befriended a young Chinese war orphan, the Tien Pao of this story. "Not only a tense adventure story but also a moving picture of one small boy's tenacious courage." ( New York Times) Meindert DeJong was the award-winning author of many classic books for children, including the Newbery Medal-winning The Wheel on the School and the Newbery Honor-winning Along Came a Dog, Shadrach, and The House of Sixty Fathers, all illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Among Mr. Sendak's other popular books is his Caldecott Medal-winning Where the Wild Things Are.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0064402002
ISBN13:9780064402002
Release Date:August 1987
Publisher:HarperCollins
Length:208 Pages
Weight:0.37 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 5.3" x 7.6"
Age Range:9 to 12 years
Grade Range:Grades 4 to 7
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
What an adventure!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
I read this book as a child and, in turn, read it to my children. It has a permanent place in our hearts. It is the well written story of a young Chinese boy and his beloved pig, "Glory of the Republic", who get separated from his family and caught behind Japanese lines when Japan invaded China in the late 1930's. It has some very scary moments. It also has tragedy. I think your child should be about 5th or 6th grade to be able to fully appreciate it. But the book will open your eyes as to what it might be like as a child to be caught in a war. The boy does get reunited with his family, but have your kleenex handy. As a parent you will definitely need it at the end.
House of Sixty Fathers
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I read this book aloud to my sixth grade reading class. They loved it, and always wanted to hear more. Its also a great way to introduce students to some of the history of China, Japan and US involvement in the war there.
My 3rd grade son loved this book!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Boys can be picky readers, so I always take notes if they actually love a book. My 8 year old carried this book everywhere and told be about it every night for a week. Besides Redwall or Harry Potter, this is the first book he has raved about.
Wonderful experience, should be read by children everywhere.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
My teacher read this book to our class when I was about 8 and I remember it was the only book where the whole class was silent and listened to every word! I have been trying to track this book down for the last few years as I could not remember the exact title (I thought it was 50 fathers!). Now I have found it at last I will look forward to reading it to my own children. Thanks to Mrs Mason, my class teacher at Christchurch Infants' School, Christchurch, Dorset for introducing it to me. It is a wonderful book, the story of which has stuck in my mind for many years since!
My sixth grade teacher read this to our class
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
My sixth grade teacher read this to our class twenty-five years ago. It's a story about a Chinese boy adopted by sixty American pilots in China during World War II. Tien Pao and his pet pig, Glory of the Republic, are separated from his parents when their sampan drifts back toward Japanese lines. I'll leave the rest of the story to you.
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