The House of Sixty Fathers
Author:
Meindert DeJong
Illustrator:
Maurice Sendak
Publication:
1956 by Harper & Row Publishers, Inc
Genre:
Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Current state:
This book has been evaluated and information added. It has been read but content considerations may not be complete.
Book Guide
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Meindert DeJong is the winner of the 1954 Newbery Award for THE WHEEL ON THE SCHOOL. The New York Herald Tribune praised this book for "its insight that stimulates the imagination and its clear beauty, like that of a Vermeer painting."
The scene of this latest book by Mr. DeJong is China, during the Japanese occupation. Young Tien Pao is alone on his family's sampan when the boat breaks loose from its moorings and is caught by the rushing waters of the river. When the sampan finally lands, Tien Pao is in Japanese territory. With only his pig for company, he starts on the long and difficult journey back to Hengyang and his parents.
The House of Sixty Fathers could be the story of any child in any war. In his expressive pictures Maurice Sendak has caught the essence of Tien Pao and his faith, courage, and unwillingness to surrender his belief in the impossible.
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Meindert DeJong
1906 - 1991Dutch American
Meindert DeJong was born in Wierum, the Netherlands, and lived there until he was eight years old. In 1914, his family came to the United States and... See more
Maurice Sendak
1928-2012American
Maurice Sendak, an author-illustrator of world renown, is the creator of such distinguished children's books as NUTSHELL LIBRARY; HIGGLETY PIGGLETY ... See more
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The House of Sixty Fathers
Reprinted by Beautiful Feet Books
Available formats: Paperback
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Reviews
The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong
Reviewed by Sherry Early
Even though all ends well, this novel, based on the author’s own experiences in China during World War II, is darker and more scary than any of the other books by DeJong that I have read. Tien Pao’s story is harrowing. He becomes lost behind the Japanese lines, almost starves to death, is shot at, nearly captured, and pursued for rescuing an American flyer. Tien Pao is a very small boy lost in a sea of soldiers and refugees and casualties of war. Nevertheless, there are friends and helpers along the way: the Chinese guerrilla leader who carries Tien Pao across enemy lines, the man who pulls Tien Pao onto a train at the last minute and hides him in a tall basket, and the American airmen (Flying Tigers) who become his “sixty fathers” when Tien Pao cannot find his own parents.
The House of Sixty Fathers
Reviewed by Jenny Phillips
The House of Sixty Fathers is a well-deserved Newbery Honor Book, originally published in 1956 and considered a modern classic...
Read the full review on The Good and the Beautiful Book List
The House of Sixty Fathers
Reviewed by Diane Pendergraft
This is a heart-stopping, heart-wrenching story. Tien Pao’s situation is nearly unthinkable for Americans who have never had war come to their country– right into their towns. It’s almost unbelievable that a child could survive as Tien Pao does. But we know that people are capable of amazing feats of courage and tenacity when they are driven by love.
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