The family is Vietnamese American, and as they work the father tells the boy of his own father, still in Vietnam, who is also a shrimp fisherman. In this book there are brief allusions to the land of Vietnam, but the thrust is that of a trade handed down from one generation to the next. Ask children to bring in an object or a photograph of an object that has been handed down in their family for at least one generation. Have them tell the others about it and why it is important to their family. Some things that are passed on in families are not material objects or even customs.
Some families pass on stories, songs or sayings.
Students might want to ask their own families about customs, stories, songs or sayings passed down through their families. Allow children to share the stories and make a class book of these traditions. Have children invent a tradition-some object, song, story or deed that they would like to pass on to their children some day. Discuss why it has meaning for them. Thematically Related Books Picture Books Bunting, Eve.