Message from ccelis

[Anonymous]

SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES, by author Eleanor Coerr, is a wonderful and truly powerful children’s novel. The story is depicts Sadako Sasaki, a young Japanese girl, who experienced the atomic bombing at the age of two. Struck by leukemia ten years later due to the effects of radiation, Sadkako folds 1000 paper cranes for the gods in a desperate hope to make her well again. Surely, this story symbolizes the long-term consequences of war and one person’s ability to create change. I think it’s a great tool to use with children of all ages.

One useful link I found to use with this poignant book can be found at the Kids Peace Station Hiroshima. This is a great website in which students can watch an animated clip about Sadako’s life and the effects of the atomic bomb. It even has a link in which kids can write letters to Sadako and post their letters on the Internet. One last idea for your class is to actually construct 1000 paper cranes, string them on garlands of 100 cranes each, and send them to Japan. The address is as follows:

Children's Monument in Hiroshima's Peace Park
Office of the Mayor, City of Hiroshima
6-34 Kokutaiji-Machi, 1 Chome Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730 Japan.