On August 6th, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Thousands of people died that day, and many thousands died in the months and years that followed from their injuries, radiation sickness, and cancer. One of these people was a little girl called Sadako. Her story is now famous, and it has touched the hearts of people all over the world. Today I have her story in picture book form, and it is presented in a way that makes this true story accessible to children.
Sadako’s Cranes
Sadako’s Cranes
Judith Loske
Translated by Kate Westerlund
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Minedition, 2015, 978-988-8341-00-9
One sunny August day in 1945 a little girl called Sadako
and her pet cat were playing by the bank of the river. They lay on the grass,
eat rice balls, and tried to catch crickets. Then a big black cloud drifted
over everything and with the cloud came “fire and heat.” The cloud destroyed
everything around them, and when it passed “Nothing was left but gray ash.”
The years went by
and people began to think less about that terrible day and the black cloud.
Life went on. Then Sadoko became sick and she had to go to hospital. They
learned that the black cloud was responsible for her illness. Sadoko’s brother
told her about a legend that said “If you fold 1,000 paper cranes, you’ll get
to make a wish.”
Sadoko wanted to
get well so she started folding paper cranes. Making the cranes made her happy
but doing so also tired her out. Sadoko’s cat kept her company, and tried to
keep her spirits up by telling her “stories about things I knew she loved.”
This tale is
based on the true story of a real little girl. Sadako Sasaki was living in
Hiroshima, Japan, when an atomic bomb was dropped on that city on August 6,
1945. As a result of the radiation, Sadako, like so many other people who lived
in Hiroshima, developed leukemia. She heard about the legend of the paper
cranes and began to make as many of the origami creations as she could.
By telling the
story from the point of view of a cat, the author and illustrator of this
beautiful, moving tale adds a layer of intimacy to what is already a powerful
story. At the back of the book she tells us a little about the real Sadako and
her legacy.
No comments:
Post a Comment