The Last Cherry BlossomFollowing the seventieth anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, this is a new, very personal story to join Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. Yuriko was happy growing up in Hiroshima when it was just her and Papa. But her aunt Kimiko and her cousin Genji are living with them now, and the family is only getting bigger with talk of a double marriage! And while things are changing at home, the world beyond their doors is even more unpredictable. World War II is coming to an end, and since the Japanese newspapers don’t report lost battles, the Japanese people are not entirely certain of where Japan stands. Yuriko is used to the sirens and the air-raid drills, but things start to feel more real when the neighbors who have left to fight stop coming home. When the bombs hit Hiroshima, it’s through Yuriko’s twelve-year-old eyes that we witness the devastation and horror. This is a story that offers young readers insight into how children lived during the war, while also introducing them to Japanese culture. Based loosely on author Kathleen Burkinshaw’s mother’s firsthand experience surviving the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, The Last Cherry Blossom hopes to warn readers of the immense damage nuclear war can bring, while reminding them that the “enemy” in any war is often not so different from ourselves. |
Contents
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Section 28 | |
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Section 36 | |
Section 37 | |
Section 38 | |
Section 39 | |
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Common terms and phrases
air raid Akira-san asked Aunt Kimiko began bomb breath CHAPTER cherry blossoms desk didn’t dining room dinner Emperor eyes face factory father favorite finished Fumi-san futon gave girls hair hakama hanafuda hanami hand head heard Hiroshima hugged Ishikawa-san Japan Japanese jazz Jiro-san Joya kasutera Kimiko and Genji kimono kitchen knew koseki laughed looked Machiko miso soup mochi morning mouth moved movie neighborhood never NHK Radio night Nishimoto-san nodded Norakuro Ohayo Okada-san once Ōnusa Papa Papa’s pika pika don plane replied samurai Sensei Shichi-Go-San Shinto shoji door shook shoulder Showa 19 Showa 20 shrine sleep slid smile someone sound squeezed stood stop Sumiyo Sumiyo-san talk tatami tears tell Thank thought tokonoma told took train station turned Uncle Daichi walked wanted Watanabe-san watch whispered wiped Yakamura-sensei Year’s Yuriko Yuriko-chan