It can sometimes be hard for grandparents to connect with their grandchildren due to generational gaps. Add a language barrier and the challenge becomes even more difficult. Drawn Together by Minh Le is a children’s book about a young boy spending time with his grandfather. They don’t speak the same language, eat the same food, or like the same TV.
When the boy pulls out his markers and paper and begins drawing, his grandpa disappears and returns with a sketch book and a paint brush. Their styles are drastically different, but the themes are the same. The boy draws a wizard with a wand and the grandpa draws a warrior with a sword and from there, they set off on creating their own artistic adventure. With very few words, this beautiful story unfolds.
Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat provides the illustrations with three destinctly different styles. There’s a more textured and layered feel to the “real world” within the story. The boy’s illustrations are a little more flat, but full of bold colors. And the grandpa’s drawings are all in black ink, but with intricate details. Readers can easily pick out artwork from the boy and grandfather on the pages that are dominated by their art.
Whether your entire family speaks the same language or not, there’s a nice lesson to be learned from Drawn Together. As different as our tastes and interests may be, there’s always something that we can enjoy doing together. Whether it’s creating new art, enjoying a Disney Park as a family, or seeing a movie together, its worth celebrating the things that help us connect to each other.
Readers interested in Drawn Together should also look at Minh Le’s other Disney Hyperion book, Let Me Finish!