The House of Sixty Fathers

A few years ago when reading The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, I learned more about the extreme animosity Chinese people hold for the Japanese.

This 1957 Newbery Honor book reinforced what I learned. This is a tale of the Japanese invasion of China. As they systematically descerated the land, murdering the poor peasants, bullets shot throughout the air, finding helpless targets, and in the aftermath, red fire raged through the huts, burning livestock and people within.

This is a tale of Tien Pao, a brave little boy whose family fled their village in the only remaining sampan. Rowing day and night to move further internally, they finally found a place to moor their sampan. Exhausted and hungry, Tien Pao's mother show more carried his baby sister on her back and she and his father sought work.

Leaving Tien Pao alone during the day with only the family pig for company. Lonely, he watched as a group of water buffalo played dangerously close to the sampan. Unaware that one of them loosened the rope that bound the sampan to the shore, Tien Pao driffed alone as the current took him right back into the mountainous territory where the Japanese were now invading.

In his journey, he miraculously rescuing an American soldier. When they were found by Chinese resistance fighters, the soldier was sheltered and then returned to his troop. Keeping Tien Pao with them, they felt it a mission to try to return him to his parents. As the fighting increased, they were not able to do so.

Once again, alone and frightened, Tien Pao was rescued. This time by American soldiers who whisked him to their barracks. As 65 men became his father, he was grateful, but still, knowing despite all odds, he vowed to find his parents.

Thoroughtout his journies, his trusted friend the pig, now called "Beauty of the Republic", accompanied him in his sheer determination to be reunited with his biological parents.

Highly recommended. show less

How anyone would give this book to a child younger than HS escapes me. The scenes of the Japanese armies invading China are harrowing, especially with absolutely no historical context, or even identification of the time period. Also, the boy Tien Pao is supposed to be sympathetic, and no doubt many people even his age survived under remarkable conditions, but the struggle is presented in a kind of "betweener" fashion that dscribes the hardships without really explaining how impossible it was that he made it through (even with fortuitous aid).
The miraculous happy ending is okay, but the emphasis is on "miracle".
The presence of Americans in China is never explained, nor why they would be so helpful, other than as sixty dei ex machine.
(Was show more this supposed to be based on a true story somehow? Per Wiki, the author was a pilot like the ones I the book.)
Style: I hate back-stitched beginnings. There was no reason not to start with the Tien family running for their lives, other than as a cheap hook -- which is terribly confusing for younger readers. Also, the title leads one to expect more time in the "House" than just the final couple of chapters.
Plus, one of my own pet peeves: the baby's Chinese name is rendered in English, to give a reason for the name of the pig - why doesn't Tien Pao have his name in English, or at least reference the other two in Chinese. show less

Tien Pao is all alone in enemy territoy. Only a few days before, his family had escaped from the Japanese army, fleeing downriver by boat. Then came the terrible rainstorm. Tien Pao was fast asleep in the little sampan when the boat broke loose from its moorings and drifted right back to the Japanese soldiers. With only his lucky pig for company, Tien Pao must begin a long and dangerous journey in search of his home and family.

We read this as a family read aloud with a 7, 10 and 12 year old and we couldn't put it down! We all loved it. I wouldn't give it to a young child to read on their own. It was good for the children to imagine what it would be like for other kids growing up through a war. LOVED IT!

More exciting than other DeJong books, this one tells the story of a Chinese boy during the Japanese invasion of China in WW2 who searches for his parents, and manages to find a squadron of American pilots who help him find his way. Well-told story, sure to please, although character development and depth is sparse. This story pairs well with Silent Road to Rescue by Denise Williamson, or a biography of Gladys Aylward.

This book is about a chinese boy, Tien Pao, who is lost and all alone except for his faithful pig who's name is Glory of the Republic. The boat that he lives on with his parents is swept downriver with just him and his pig on it. Unsure of himself, Tien Pao starts the long journey back to his family. On the way he has many challenges such as avoiding Japanese soldiers, protecting his pig from hungry children, finding food, and much more. Tien Pao meets some American soldiers who help him in his search and also learns about American ways and cultures. He also unwittingly becomes part of the resistance against the Japanese. Even Glory of the Republic is involved. Eventually, the tired boy finds his mother and is reunited happily.

This is show more one of the best historical fiction books I've ever read. One of the best parts was Tien Pao's relationship with the little pig who is his constant companion. It was heartbreaking when he was separated from his beloved family and then heartbreaking again when he was reunited. This book also opened my eyes to the kindness of human beings. A old woman risked her life to help the resistance and Tien Pao and eventually paid the absolute price for it. This book also gave me insight on how much a different culture can affect someone in a positive way. I stayed up all night reading this book, and it was truly awakening. I highly recommend this book. show less

Oy, talk about an adventure story.  Takes place in China during WWII, so, educational - but also ever so exciting.  A reissue would def. appeal to modern children.  Sendak's art is wonderful, but not as highly personal as his work for the books he writes himself, more straightforward... and more apt, imo.  Inspired by DeJong's own experience in China.