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Starred Review A Bowl Full of Peace

A True Story

  • Interest Level: Grade 1 - Grade 5
  • Reading Level: Grade 4

A heartbreaking but essential perspective on war and survival.—starred, Kirkus Reviews

In this deeply moving nonfiction picture book, award-winning author Caren Stelson brings Sachiko Yasui’s story of surviving the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and her message of peace to a young audience.

Sachiko’s family home was about half a mile from where the atomic bomb fell on August 9, 1945. Her family experienced devastating loss. When they returned to the rubble where their home once stood, her father miraculously found their serving bowl fully intact. This delicate, green, leaf-shaped bowl—which once held their daily meals—now holds memories of the past and serves as a vessel of hope, peace, and new traditions for Sachiko and the surviving members of her family.

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978-1-5415-2148-3
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978-1-5415-9069-4
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Interest Level Grade 1 - Grade 5
Reading Level Grade 4
Genre Picture Books, Social Studies
Category 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Books: Race & Ethnicity, Diverse Books: Social Justice, Diversity, SEL: B Self-Management, SEL: C Social Awareness, SEL: E Responsible Decision-Making, Social Emotional Learning
Copyright 2020
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Carolrhoda Books ®
Language English
Number of Pages 40
Publication Date 2020-08-04
Text Type Narrative Nonfiction
BISACS JNF025130, JNF053030, JNF019000
Dewey 940.54/252244092 [B]
Graphics Full-color illustrations
Dimensions 9.25 x 11
Lexile 650
Guided Reading Level S
ATOS Reading Level 3.6
Accelerated Reader® Points 0.5
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Author/Illustrator note, Awards, Bibliography/further reading, Original artwork, Reviewed, and Starred Reviews

Awards

  • Charlie May Simon Award Nominee, Nominated, 2023
  • Arkansas Diamond Primary Award Nominee, Nominated, 2022
  • Prairie Bloom Award Nominee, Nominated, 2022
  • Martin Luther King "Living the Dream" Book Award finalist, Short-listed, 2021
  • Notable Award Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, Winner, 2021
  • Lectio Book Award Master List, Long-listed, 2021
  • Minnesota Book Award Finalist, Short-listed, 2021
  • Notable Award Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Nominee, Nominated, 2021
  • Notable Award Kirkus Best Children's Books, Winner, 2020
  • Freeman Book Award Honorable Mention, Commended, 2020
  • Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books, Winner, 2020

Reviews

Starred Review The Horn Book Magazine

Reviewed on 6 July 2020

“[A] symbol of survival. . . . Kusaka’s illustrations effectively focus on Sachiko’s family and the ways they used the bowl to create an orderly family life even in the midst of, and after, a devastating war.”—starred, The Horn Book Magazine

Publishers Weekly

Reviewed on 30 March 2020

" . . . The soft edges of Kusaka’s digital artwork mimic pastel images and show the catastrophe and its aftermath directly."—Publishers Weekly

Starred Review Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed on 15 March 2020

“A heartbreaking but essential perspective on war and survival.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews

Starred Review Booklist

Reviewed on 15 March 2020

“A powerful entry point for discussing the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the importance of peace and disarmament. Stunning.”—starred, Booklist

School Library Journal

Reviewed on 1 March 2020

“A useful resource that could be tied to the International Day of Peace.”—School Library Journal