My Hiroshima (10/26)

Title: My Hiroshima
Author: Junko Morimoto
Type: Picture book
Ages: 7+
Rating: 5

Summary: A little girl retells her story of surviving the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima.
 

This is absolutely an excellent book! I love that it is told from the point of view of the youngest girl in the family. The words are simple and the sentences are short. It is very easy to understand even when talking about such a harsh topic. Many people may consider this a controversial book because it talks about war and dying. This book simply addresses the fact that people did die when the Atomic Bomb was dropped. The author was extremely lucky and her whole family survived the bombing, therefore, none of the characters you are connected to in the story die. It is an uplifting book in this sense. 

I also really liked the author's note in the back of the book. It tells us that the book was based off a true story. Junko Morimoto also expressed why she thinks it is important to teach children about the war. She states; 

"War, the atomic bomb...only human beings have produced them. They are the crimes of adults who forget the precious value of life. I believe it is the duty and the responsibility of adults to teach our children the importance of not repeating these mistakes and to give them the heart to care for and value all life on earth."

I think this is a very important point that Junko makes. We are currently in the middle of a war right now. The fighting may not be taking place in our country, but it is in other countries, and there are children who are experiencing what Junko went through. I think it is important to educate children about the dangers of war and killing other people. We cannot shelter our children forever. We may live in a country that does not allow children to enter war until 18 years old but not every country is like this so we need to educate our future generations.