ALA Notable Children’s Book

Newbery Honor Book

About the Book

The House of Sixty Fathers could be the story of any child in any war. This award-winning novel, which includes expressive pictures by Maurice Sendak, brings readers the story of Tien Pao. His faith, courage, and unwillingness to surrender his belief in the impossible continue to resonate.

Tien Pao is all alone in enemy territory. 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.

Awarded a Newbery Honor medal, The House of Sixty Fathers is based on Meindert DeJong's experience during World War II. DeJong was official historian for the Chinese-American Composite Wing when he met and befriended a young Chinese war orphan, the Tien Pao of this story.

"Not only a tense adventure story but also a moving picture of one small boy's tenacious courage." (New York Times)

Meindert DeJong was the award-winning author of many classic books for children, including the Newbery Medal-winning The Wheel on the School and the Newbery Honor-winning Along Came a Dog, Shadrach, and The House of Sixty Fathers, all illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Among Mr. Sendak's other popular books is his Caldecott Medal-winning Where the Wild Things Are.

Critical Praise

"Not only a tense adventure story but also a moving picture of one small boy's tenacious courage." — New York Times

"Tien Pao must begin a dangerous journey to find his family, who has escaped from the Japanese army, in this moving story." — Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• ISBN: 9780064402002
• ISBN 10: 0064402002
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• On Sale: 08/28/1987
• Pages: 208
• List Price:6.99 CAD
• Ages: 8 to 12
• BISAC1 : JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Homelessness & Poverty
• BISAC2 : JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Violence
• BISAC3 : JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Orphans & Foster Homes
• BISAC4 : JUVENILE FICTION / Boys & Men
• BISAC5 : JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / Asia
• BISAC6 : JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Survival Stories
• BISAC7 : JUVENILE FICTION / Classics
• BISAC8 : JUVENILE FICTION / Family / Parents
• BISAC9 : JUVENILE FICTION / Historical / Military & Wars