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

The Peace Tree from Hiroshima : A Little Bonsai with a Big Story
ISBN: 9784805313473
Publication Date: 1 July 2015

The Peace Tree from Hiroshima. This true children's story is told by a little bonsai tree 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.

The tree is called Miyajima after the island on which it first grew, before being gently uprooted and brought to the home of the Yamaki family, where it was lovingly pruned and trimmed by generations of fathers and sons. At the end of the Second World War, an atomic bomb destroys Hiroshima. Many people die, but the Yamaki family and Miyajima survive. One day, a truck comes to take Miyajima away.

The little tree is on its way to the National Arboretum in Washington as a gift of friendship from Japan to America. Miyajima is very proud, but also sad to leave the Yamaki family. At the end of the book, Masaru, the elderly grandfather of the family, and his ten-year-old grandson Akira, make a surprise visit to Washington to visit their much missed and beloved family member.

About the Author

Sandra Moore began her writing career as a ghost writer 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.