The Peace Tree from Hiroshima: Little Bonsai with a Big Story

Age: 8 to 12 "This is a story about the art of caring. Its message will speak to the heart of any child who reads it and nourish his or her roots in the process" - Ron Himler, illustrator of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Additional Reviews: "Unforgettable journey of the Peace Tree through generations of family, time, and place to provide the healing needed after Hiroshima. A great read aloud and must have in any elementary school library collection! It is so thoughtfully written and filled with child appropriate illustrations of a difficult time in history. The book spans many teachable moments of an elementary curriculum." — Angela Smith, Sidwell Friends, Lower School Librarian An endearing tale of a tree's rich life experience, this book is a wonderful way to introduce the history of the relationship between Japan and the United States." — Manhattan Book Review "The Peace Tree from Hiroshima: The Little Bonsai with a Big Story by Sandra Moore and illustrated by Kazumi Wilds is a wonderful true story that brings hope of peace to the world…It is such a lovely story and leaves the reader with a good feeling. It really helps rekindle the hope and possibility of world peace in me." — Crafty Moms Share "Picture books that deal with adult themes can be difficult to get right, particularly when there's war involved but this one manages to light up some dark material. Based on true events, the titular tree is a white pine that was taken from its home as a seedling and trimmed into bonsai form. As it grew it was passed down from generation to generation and even survived the bombing at Hiroshima. The more-than-300-year old tree was eventually sent to America at part of her 200th birthday celebrations, a symbol of friendship between the two formerly warring countries." — Sydney Morning Herald "An author's note about the real-life tree that inspired the picture book, a brief glossary, and a handful of fascinating facts about bonsai trees round out this story of hope." — Midwest Book Review"A tree that inspires peace." — PragmaticMom "This slight but clearly told story would be a fine additional purchase to supplement cultural studies of Japan" — School Library Journal "The Peace Tree from Hiroshima: The Little Bonsai with a Big Story is an incredible true story of forgiveness and generosity. It was my favorite book that I read this summer, and one that I think belongs in every home library." — Mama Smiles blog "The story is touching and based on a true story. We also love the glossary in the back of the book where you can learn more about Bonsai Trees. What a wonderful gift to a child or a classroom to have a bonsai in honour/honor of the Peace Tree and to learn about patience and care when tending to this beautiful tree. This book, as many Tuttle Books are, is a perfect addition to your child's library. It is a good way to also introduce the Second World War to your children. It will breed questions from them and to open a heavy subject with the healing and peace between two nations, is a great gift to give your children in understanding a complicated topic." — The Baby Spot magazine "This true children's story is told by a little bonsai tree, called Miyajima, that lived with the same family in the Japanese city of Hiroshima for more than 300 years before being donated to the National Arboretum in Washington DC in 1976 as a gesture of friendship between America and Japan to celebrate the American Bicentennial." — Starts at Eight blog "The Peace Tree from Hiroshima by Sandra Moore is a beautiful story that weaves together history, geography, family, nature, sadness, peace, and hope. [It] will captivate your children from the first page…[It] can lead to a variety of learning opportunities." — MyLittlePoppies.com blog "Wilds' full-page landscape illustrations are the best: lush green forest teaming with flora and fauna, the stark and monochrome shock of a bombed city, and the gorgeous blue sky and pink blossoms of a rebuilding land. Moore's use of a novel perspective gives way to a discussion about the meanings of history, war, and peace." — Asian Fortune News "I am pleased that there is a children's book, inspired by a true event that sheds a positive light on a harsh subject." — Castle View Academy blog "As a documentary film producer who has focused on the extraordinary peacemaking gestures of children from Washington, DC and Hiroshima, Japan in the immediate aftermath of war, I was touched to learn about the Yamaki bonsai tree who survived the bombing and went on to become a symbol of peace. This is a warm-hearted story with inspiring illustrations by Japanese illustrator Kazumi Wilds." — Shizumi Shigeto Manale, film producer, Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard, and author of the companion book, Running with Cosmos Flowers: The Children of Hiroshima "An endearing story that beautifully introduces the history of the relationship between Japan and the United States." — California Kids! Family Fun Guide " The Peace Tree From Hiroshima: The Little Bonsai with a Big Story by Sandra Moore is a true story of how a little old tree traveled from Hiroshima to Washington DC as a sign of peace and friendship between Japan and the United States." — GrowingBookByBook.com "By centering the story around a tree, Moore creates a useful vehicle for learning about and understanding a very intense and difficult part of the histories of both the United States and Japan. The tree has great potential for providing young readers with a more palatable introduction to this event." — Social Justice Books, A Teaching for Change Project **Winner of the 2017 Creative Child Magazine Preferred Choice Award ** **Winner of the 2015 Gelett Burgess Award for Best Intercultural Book** **Winner of the 2015 Silver Evergreen Medal for World Peace** This true children's story is told by a little bonsai tree, called Miyajima, that lived with the same family in the Japanese city of Hiroshima for more than 300 years before being donated to the National Arboretum in Washington DC in 1976 as a gesture of friendship between America and Japan to celebrate the American Bicentennial. From the Book: "In 1625, when Japan was a land of samurai and castles, I was a tiny pine seedling. A man called Itaro Yamaki picked me from the forest where I grew and took me home with him. For more than three hundred years, generations of the Yamaki family trimmed and pruned me into a beautiful bonsai tree. In 1945, our household survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In 1976, I was donated to the National Arboretum in Washington D.C., where I still live today—the oldest and perhaps the wisest tree in the bonsai museum."