I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Paper Crane - thank you to Readers First, Kerry Drewery and Hot Key Books for my copy to review. Japan is somewhere I would desperately like to visit and I have been fortunate to read several books set there over the last few weeks.
The Last Paper Crane takes a reflective look back at the events on the 6th of August 1945 - the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Ichiro Ando has a day off and is spending it with his friend Hiro before the tragic events unfold. We then follow him through the hours, days and weeks afterwards as he tries to fulfil a promise he made. The Last Paper Crane begins and ends with poetry-like narratives from Mizuki and these are absolutely beautifully written.
There is so much to like about this book - it is sensitively written but gives the reader a small glimpse into some of the horrors which were faced at this time. I particularly enjoyed the thoughts of Mizuki - some lovely little lines - beautiful and thought provoking. The illustrations really added to the appeal and I really liked the instructions for how to make your own origami crane at the end.
The Last Paper Crane takes a reflective look back at the events on the 6th of August 1945 - the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Ichiro Ando has a day off and is spending it with his friend Hiro before the tragic events unfold. We then follow him through the hours, days and weeks afterwards as he tries to fulfil a promise he made. The Last Paper Crane begins and ends with poetry-like narratives from Mizuki and these are absolutely beautifully written.
There is so much to like about this book - it is sensitively written but gives the reader a small glimpse into some of the horrors which were faced at this time. I particularly enjoyed the thoughts of Mizuki - some lovely little lines - beautiful and thought provoking. The illustrations really added to the appeal and I really liked the instructions for how to make your own origami crane at the end.