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

**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."

About the Author :
Sandra Moore began her writing career as a ghostwriter for a senator on Capitol Hill and has worked as a freelance journalist specializing in writing about children and families. She studied writing for children at the Washington Writers' Center. This is her first book. Kazumi Wilds illustrated Tuttle's All About Japan (Tuttle, 2011) and has illustrated several other children's books, including The Wakame Gatherers (Shen's Books, 2007). She lives in Japan but is currently studying in the United States. See her work at wildskazumi-picturebook.jimdo.com

Review :
"This true story of dedication and compassion towards living things tells the story of one bonsai tree as it spans generations of care-takers. It was a gift between continents as a symbol of peace. It is a story that will touch the hearts of all readers. Geared for ages 8+." "The Educators' Spin On It" blog" ""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. The illustrations are beautiful and it makes me want to take a trip down to Washington to see this beautiful tree. I hope you will go out and read this book...It is one that should not be missed!" --Crafty Moms Share "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 ..".this 450-year-old bonsai had survived the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima! No one in America knew anything about this until then. The survival of this old bonsai, which had been sitting on a bench behind a wall at the Yamaki home not far from the epicenter of the blast, was in and of itself astonishing. But just as amazing were the facts that Mr. Yamaki had not mentioned this critical fact when he donated the bonsai, that he had given such a masterpiece to America, his former enemy, and that in making the gift Mr. Yamaki must have been forgiving America for dropping the bomb on his home city. In an instant, the Yamaki Pine became an international symbol of peace." --Felix Laughlin, President of the National Bonsai Foundation "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 ..".this 350-year-old bonsai had survived the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima! No one in America knew anything about this until then. The survival of this old bonsai, which had been sitting on a bench behind a wall at the Yamaki home not far from the epicenter of the blast, was in and of itself astonishing. But just as amazing were the facts that Mr. Yamaki had not mentioned this critical fact when he donated the bonsai, that he had given such a masterpiece to America, his former enemy, and that in making the gift Mr. Yamaki must have been forgiving America for dropping the bomb on his home city. In an instant, the Yamaki Pine became an international symbol of peace." --Felix Laughlin, President of the National Bonsai Foundation "Fairy tale-sounding this may seem, but the ending 'Author's Note' will reveal just how true this inspiring story actually is. A first book for journalist Sandra Moore, Peace Tree couldn't be a better choice to begin an authorly career." --Smithsonian BookDragon "First-time author Moore draws from the story of a centuries-old bonsai tree that was donated to the United States for the 1976 bicentennial. Closing notes separate fact from fiction and discuss the art of bonsai in this straightforward but affecting tribute to patience, dedication, and a generosity of spirit that surmounted tragedy." --Publishers Weekly "I would recommend this book to children who are eager to learn about history from other cultures and as a starter to get kids interested in nature. The story is personal and sentimental, but is able to cross the bridge from nature to other cultures." --Washington Gardener magazine ..".tells of the aging of devoted caregivers over three centuries until it survives a cataclysmic event and an overseas voyage to become a symbol of international friendship." --Friends Journal "If you are looking to instill a bit of history and culture into your child, this is a great book." --Parenting Healthy blog "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 " this 350-year-old bonsai had survived the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima! No one in America knew anything about this until then. The survival of this old bonsai, which had been sitting on a bench behind a wall at the Yamaki home not far from the epicenter of the blast, was in and of itself astonishing. But just as amazing were the facts that Mr. Yamaki had not mentioned this critical fact when he donated the bonsai, that he had given such a masterpiece to America, his former enemy, and that in making the gift Mr. Yamaki must have been forgiving America for dropping the bomb on his home city. In an instant, the Yamaki Pine became an international symbol of peace." Felix Laughlin, President of the National Bonsai Foundation" " tells of the aging of devoted caregivers over three centuries until it survives a cataclysmic event and an overseas voyage to become a symbol of international friendship." Friends Journal" "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"