Sadako Sasaki is the child honored by the monument of a girl holding a large origami crane in the Hiroshima Peace Park. The monument is a strong expression for peace, representing the many who perished in Japan as a result of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. As she suffered from radiation sickness, Sadako and her friends are reported to have folded origami cranes, in accordance with the Japanese legend holding that if a sick person folds 1,000 cranes, the gods will restore her health. The same author who wrote the moving short fiction book SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES (Putnam, 1977) presents this adaptation of the script for a film of the same name. The striking 9 1/4" by 11 1/4" book includes a selection of the almost three hundred images artist Ed Young created for the film using pastels, many of which reflect images of origami cranes or those from nature. (Ages 8-11)

 “An extraordinary book, one no reader will fail to find compelling and unforgettable.” —Booklist, starred review


The star of her school’s running team, Sadako is lively and athletic…until the dizzy spells start. Then she must face the hardest race of her life—the race against time. Based on a true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes celebrates the courage that makes one young woman a heroine in Japan. 


"[The] story speaks directly to young readers of the tragedy of Sadako's death and, in its simplicity, makes a universal statement for 'peace in the world.” —The Horn Book "The story is told tenderly but with neither a morbid nor a sentimental tone: it is direct and touching."  —BCCB