Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes - Softcover

Eleanor Coerr

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440474655 ISBN 13: 9780440474654

Publisher: Yearling, 1979

Synopsis

Chizuko came to visit her friend Sadako in the hospital. She had a piece of gold paper that she had cut into a large square.
"Watch!" she said, and she folded the paper over and over, and it tumed into a beautiful crane.
"If a sick person folds one thousand paper cranes," Chizuko said, "the gods will grant her wish and make her well again."
Sadako Sasaki was only twelve years old when she died. She was two when an atom bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima in Japan, where she lived with her family. Ten years later, she had leukemia as a result of radiation from the bomb.
Sadako had folded six hundred and forty-four cranes. The flock hung above her bed on strings. Her classmates folded the rest.
Today Sadako is a heroine to the children of Japan, who visit her memorial in Hiroshima Peace Park to leave the paper cranes they make in her honor.

About this title

About the Author:

Eleanor Coerr was born in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, Canada, and grew up in Saskatoon. Two of her favorite childhood hobbies were reading and making up stories. Eleanor began her professional life as a newspaper reporter and editor of a column for children. Luckily, she traveled to Japan in 1949 as a writer for the Ottawa Journal, since none of the other staff wanted to go to a country that had been devastated by war. Coerr is the writer of numerous children's book and picture books.

Born in Cleveland Ohio, renowned illustrator Ronald Himler attended the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he majored in painting and illustration. Himler's primary focus is children's books, but he's also gained quite a following in regards to his more mature work. Ron has earned many awards over the course of his career, including the prestigous Society of Illustrators Silver Medal for the cover of Red Cap.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-6-The touching story of a terminally ill girl is recreated in this audio version of the book by Eleanor Coerr (Puffin, 1977). Based on the true story of a young Japanese girl who contracts leukemia as a result of the atom bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, the story follows Sadako as a healthy schoolgirl winning relay races, through her diagnosis with the atom bomb sickness, to her long stay in the hospital. It is in the hospital that she first begins making origami cranes to pass the time. Her ultimate goal is to make 1000, but she dies with only 644 completed. Sadako's classmates finish making the remaining cranes, and all 1000 are buried with her. Read by Christina Moore, the recording has excellent narration and sound quality and is particularly notable for the children's voices. Moore uses subtle nuances to distinguish between characters, and conveys a sense of Sadako's gentle spirit and courage. The recording is further enriched at the end by an interesting biography of Eleanor Coerr that explains how the author came to write Sadako's story. Schools and public libraries will benefit from adding this recording to their collections.
Paula L. Setser, Deep Springs Elementary School, Lexington, KY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yearling
• Publication date: 1979
• ISBN 10: 0440474655
• ISBN 13: 9780440474654
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Ronald Himler