Gigi and Ojiji
ISBN-13: 978-0063208063
Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book 2023
Bank Street Best Book 2023 5-9 Beginning Reader
CBC Teacher and Librarian Favorites Award 2023
Kirkus Best Book 2022 Early Reader/Chapter Books
Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Book 1995-2023
El dîa de los niños libros Selection 2013-2023
Chicago Public Library Best Book 2022
New York Public Library Best Book 2022
Best Book101 Great Books for Kids List Evanston Library 2022
Starred reviews in School Library Journal and Booklist
2024-2025 Louisiana Readers’ Choice Award
Junior Library Guild Selection
Gigi, a biracial six-year-old girl, learns about her Japanese culture from her grandfather when he comes to visit. Perfect for social emotional learning.
Gigi can’t wait for her Ojiji—Japanese grandpa—to move in. Gigi plans lots of things to do with him, like playing tag, reading books, and teaching Roscoe, the family dog, new tricks.
But her plans don’t work out quite the way she’d hoped. And her grandpa doesn’t seem to like Roscoe. Will Gigi find a way to connect with her Ojiji?
Gigi and Ojiji is a Level Three I Can Read book. Level 3 includes many fun subjects kids love to read about on their own. Themes include friendship, adventure, historical fiction, and science. Level 3 books are written for early independent readers. They include some challenging words and more complex themes and stories. The story contains several Japanese words and a glossary of definitions and pronunciations.
"Gigi crafts her Japanese American identity in this enchanting early reader. The cuteness, inclusivity, and cross-cultural problem-solving represented will have young readers coming back again and again. A must-buy." —School Library Journal (starred review)
"The text is well supported by the endearing illustrations, which capture all of Gigi’s big emotions and depict her as a biracial child, with a white father and Japanese mother." —Booklist (starred review)
"An affirming option in the quickly diversifying field of early-reader books." —Kirkus
