The Peace Tree from Hiroshima

“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“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

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.