Caldecott Medalist, Allen Say, presents a companion to his award-wining Drawing from Memory - the story of his coming-of-age at a military academy and the discovery of what it means to be American For Allen Say, life as teen in Southern California was a cold existence. His father, one of the leading hamburger salesmen in Japan, ran a booming burger business, much like McDonald's, and sent Allen to an American military academy, so that his son could learn English and "become a success in life."