Grandfather Counts

Written by Andrea Cheng · Illustrated by Ange Zhang

A girl and her grandfather can't share a language, until they count trains.

4.1 Goodreads · 169 ratings

32 pages· 1,506 words· Est. 12 min read-aloud· AD570L· AR 3.6 · 0.5 AR pts

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Bookroo's summary

Helen's grandfather, Gong Gong, comes from China to live with her family, but he speaks only Chinese and she speaks only English. Counting train cars together, they teach each other words in both languages and build a special bond.

From the publisher

Reading Rainbow Selection - PBS KidsIn this contemporary intergenerational story, a biracial girl and her Chinese grandfather overcome language differences and develop a special bond.Gong Gong (Grandfather) is coming from China to live with Helen's family. Helen is excited, but anxious. How will she and her siblings, who know only English, communicate with Gong Gong, who speaks only Chinese? At first Gong Gong keeps to himself, reading the Chinese newspapers he brought with him. Then one day, as Helen sits outside watching for the train that runs behind her house, Gong Gong joins her. He starts counting the train cars in Chinese, and then teaches Helen the words. Helen reciprocates by teaching Gong Gong to count in English. Soon Helen and Gong Gong are teaching each other more words, and a special bond between them begins to develop and grow. A moving intergenerational story, Grandfather Counts highlights the universality of the love shared between grandparent and grandchild, a love that helps them cross the boundaries of language and culture.

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