One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue [Mass Market Paperback]

Ishii Takayuki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 9, 2001 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

The inspirational story of the Japanese national campaign to build the Children's Peace Statue honoring Sadako and hundreds of other children who died as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima.

Ten years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki died as a result of atomic bomb disease. Sadako's determination to fold one thousand paper cranes and her courageous struggle with her illness inspired her classmates. After her death, they started a national campaign to build the Children's Peace Statue to remember Sadako and the many other children who were victims of the Hiroshima bombing. On top of the statue is a girl holding a large crane in her outstretched arms. Today in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, this statue of Sadako is beautifully decorated with thousands of paper cranes given by people throughout the world.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The inspirational story of the Japanese national campaign to build the Children's Peace Statue honoring Sadako and hundreds of other children who died as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima.

Ten years after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako Sasaki died as a result of atomic bomb disease. Sadako's determination to fold one thousand paper cranes and her courageous struggle with her illness inspired her classmates. After her death, they started a national campaign to build the Children's Peace Statue to remember Sadako and the many other children who were victims of the Hiroshima bombing. On top of the statue is a girl holding a large crane in her outstretched arms. Today in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, this statue of Sadako is beautifully decorated with thousands of paper cranes given by people throughout the world.

About the Author

Takayuki Ishii was born in Tokyo. He is presently the pastor of Metropolitan-Duane United Methodist Christ, a multicultural congregation in New York City.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf (January 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440228433
• ISBN-13: 978-0440228431
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.4 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Asia
  • #18 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Asia > General
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Explore the World > Asia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Companion Book to Eleanor Coerr's Sadako, January 14, 2001

By 

Jeanette Marinese (Huntington Station, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue (Mass Market Paperback)

Often fiction leads us into a story and leaves us helpless to change anything. Takayuki Ishii's book takes us into the real world of Sadako Sasaki who died of leukemia years after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. This is a well researched document, with family and classmate interviews, which sheds light on the real child whose world changed as a result of adult decisions. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is home to a statue commemorating Sadako's life. It was built by the donations solicited by her classmates. Each day children from all over the world send folded paper cranes to this statue in her memory and in the hope for world peace. It is rare for a teacher to have the opportunity to compare and contrast a fictionalized event with the non fictional and rarer, still, to then have the opportunity to construct a real life project, from classroom reading, for students which will make the voices of the children heard. I am a teacher and the children in my school, the Henry Viscardi School, forwarded their cranes to the statue. This moving experience is recorded on our school Web site (under Japanese Odyssey)and was inspired by Reverand Ishii's book. The book had been published first in Japan. Random House has now made it available in the United States and as word of its publication reaches schools and libraries, it is destined to become a "must have" for every American classroom.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable and heartbreaking..., December 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue (Mass Market Paperback)

...this is the kind of book that continues to haunt you long after you put it down. I read this book in elementary school and then stumbled across it as an adult - even re-reading it as an adult, I was shocked by the descriptions of the damage done by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This book is a must-read. As an American, I believe that the atom bomb was a necessary evil to stop World War II; however, as a human, I believe the atom bomb was a horrible atrocity unleashed on millions of people, including a child named Sadako whose story is poignantly told here. This book is an eye-opener, a heart-wrencher and a beautiful story.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book everyone should read, October 19, 2002

By 

A. Pacheco (Bedford, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Thousand Paper Cranes: The Story of Sadako and the Children's Peace Statue (Mass Market Paperback)

No matter what side you are on in the debate on the use of the atomic bombs during WWII, this is a "must read". As a science teacher, I read this book to my Advanced Chemistry class at the conclusion of our nuclear chemistry unit. However, I have yet been able to read it through without crying. And I have not been alone. Sadako's story should teach us all a lesson. My students may not remember the specifics of chain reactions or nuclear decay. But I guaruntee that they will remember Sadako's story. I want them to be informed citizens who make educated choices. One thing that history has shown us is that it repeats itself. What a horrible thought.......that another little girl become a "Sadako". I would hate to think that next time her name might be an American one......It chills me to the bone.