Author: Margi Preus
Illustrator: Hideko Takahashi
Number of Pages: 29 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary of Plot:
A young girl brings her friend, visiting from the United States, on a walk through a part Japan. Yuko’s, the native, grandma tells them the story of when she lived through World War Two. In her city there was a bell that hung up in a tower. She loved to hear it ring. It would ring one hundred and eight times each new year, once for each worry of the world.
She remembers seeing the men go off to war on the trains. When the war started, the bell was taken, along with many other things, to be used to create war materials. There were no more New Year’s Eve celebrations, which she loved. Meanwhile, Yoko’s grandmother was married, and had a child. She found happiness there.
Through it all, this bell came out unscathed. US Servicemen returned it as a peace offering. There was a huge celebration because of its return. Now, on that day, her granddaughter, Yuko, got to ring the bell, that she once long ago rung when she was that age.
My Reaction to the book:
I found it neat to hear about a view of the war from the perspective of someone in Japan. The pictures were bright and cheery, going along nicely with the message of peace the book gives. I really liked hearing the author’s view on the issue. That was one of my favorite parts of the book.
Potential Problems:
War is talked about.
Recommendations:
This is a good book for those that like history. World War two is a very important time in the history of the world. This book gives a good glimpse into what happened in a country other than the USA. Peace is an important concept to understand. I would highly recommend reading the author’s note in the very back of the book. She talks about what she feels like this book should mean to the world. It is a valuable use of time to read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment