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Hiroshima No Pika

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August 6, 1945, 8:15 a.m.
Hiroshima. Japan
A little girl and her parents
are eating breakfast,
and then it happened.
HIROSHIMA NO PIKA.
This book is dedicated to
the fervent hope the Flash
will never happen again,
anywhere.

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

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Toshi Maruki

41 books1 follower

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5 stars
201 (44%)
4 stars
152 (33%)
3 stars
75 (16%)
2 stars
16 (3%)
1 star
9 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
1 review
June 3, 2014
I started out reading this book for my children's lit class at PSU. What first drew me to this book was the fact that it was about Hiroshima, and me being half japanese, I wanted to see what they wrote down. I mean other than japanese, japanese americans, and history enthusiast who knows a lot about what actually happened that day in Japan? I know a few people could tell me the name of the bomb that hit, and what day, but how did those people feel? what actually happened to these people?

It is an amazing well written book from a point of view of a 7 year old japanese girl. She started out her boring like any other morning when the bomb hit. It goes into some graphic stuff, which would be hard for me if I had children to show, but as a human I feel like we should see what we are capable of and what we do has effect on others. The pictures are beyond moving, and at one moment in time i felt like shutting the book entirely and no longer reading it. But it shows exactly what happened that day and the cause and effect it had on these people.

I would suggest any person to read this, young or old, and to never forget what we did that day.
Profile Image for Rachel.
2,835 reviews58 followers
March 6, 2009
I will just include the review that I made for my class as it is more descriptive:

Hiroshima No Pika or the Flash of Hiroshima, is the true story about the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. The after-effects of the bomb is seen through the eyes a young Japanese family, in particular the seven year old daughter Mii. Ever year on August 6, the people of Hiroshima light lanterns to remember the dead and let them drift down the rivers that run through the city. The book warns that atomic bombs should never be used again.

Again, this is another book I never heard of before this assignment. I got upset reading this book, especially in seeing the images of all the naked bloated bodies of the men, women and children floating down the rivers. Despite this, I thought it was a well-done book and I was eager to know more about the events of that day. As an American, I know that we dropped the bomb on the Japanese to end to the war. Do I know whether it was justified or not? I can't answer that, though others I know have different opinions. Others think about what the Japanese did to Americans at Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal and other sites, and think that it is a good enough reason. I know my paternal grandfather, who fought in the Pacific during the entire war, hated the Japanese afterwards. I personally don't believe we should've dropped the bomb. Yes, it ended the war, but at what cost? Not only did 70,000-100,000 people die but many were stricken with cancer or other long term radiation-related illnesses. I found a website called the A-Bomb WWW Museum and learned more about what had happened and how big the devastation actually was. I also visited webpages based on the work of the illustrator and her husband Iri Maruki and their Hiroshima Panels, which also show the destruction to the city and the lives of its people. I will say that I am now, more so than ever, against nuclear proliferation.

The watercolor painted illustrations made this book. The story itself is sad, but the illustrations make it heartbreaking. The reader goes from seeing this happy family eating breakfast together to total chaos as bodies are hurled through the air and their clothes are burned off. Maruki did a good job of describing visually how much of a hell on earth Hiroshima was after the bomb dropped, with the swirling fires of dark reds and blacks. The illustrations describe the sense of despair and hopelessness that the people are feeling as their city, and their lives, are destroyed.

Additional info: This book is suitable for grades 3-5, and it is a multicultural title.
Profile Image for Roger DeBlanck.
Author 7 books134 followers
October 31, 2016
This non-fiction picture book is intended for upper-age elementary students. “A sudden, terrible light flashed all around. The light was bright orange—then white, like thousands of lightning bolts all striking at once.” That is the way Maruki describes the apocalyptic explosion. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki are quite possibly two of the most horrific events in the history of the world, and Hiroshima No Pika takes on the sensitive subject by remembering what happened in gripping and graphic fashion.
Profile Image for Katie Carson.
48 reviews13 followers
November 24, 2009
I really enjoyed this international historical fiction picture book. Initially, my first reaction to the book was the consideration that the author was from Japan. I was instantly intrigued by her perspective on a tragedy that the Americans brought on the Japanese.
After my reading of the story, I read the author, Toshi Maruki, actually got the idea for this book from her interactions with a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing. The survivor had carried with her a feeling that when she shared her experience with others, they reacted as though she were exaggerating and trying to draw upon their pity. Once she realized that Maruki did not feel that way about her experiences surviving the Hiroshima blast, the survivor opened up, asking Maruki and others to "please believe me!" Hiroshima No Pika is based on this woman's story and integrated with information the author had encountered regarding people's experiences with the atomic bomb. That being said, this book could be considered fiction based research. Although Maruki herself did not experience the Hiroshima bombing, she based the writing of this picture book on this survivor's story, as well as other observations she was given from those who experience the Hiroshima tragedy first-hand.
Because I used this book in comparison with a factual information book on the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, it helped for me to distinguish differences between the two texts. Unlike the information text, Hiroshima No Piku applied a name and a fact to the historic tragedy of the atomic bomb. It showed innocent characters eating breakfast when the bomb dropped in order to emphasize the blamelessness of the citizens who were attacked. Seeing the devastation through the eyes of a young girl, readers are even more sympathetic to the story.
I was also fascinated by the beautiful illustrations in the book. Although many images were rather disturbing, I felt that in many ways, the illustrations were more powerful than any photograph image could have been.
Profile Image for Becca.
80 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2009
I had to read this Japanese picture book for my International Children's Literature class. It's like medicine: good for you, but not enjoyable. It's the story of a small family's experience when the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The pictures are very graphic, as the bomb did away with everyone's clothes. Not only is everyone naked, but the images are unnatural and warped. I am glad I read it, however, because I gained insight into the effects of the bomb on the citizens of Hiroshima. Reading this book also caused me to think about the morality of the atom bomb itself, and that led to great discussions with my husband. My problem with this book is that the author chose to share this story in a picture book format, and states in the back of the book that her audience is children. This book is not appropriate for young children. I wouldn't want any child younger than at least 8 to look at this book, and by then, most children are out of the picture book stage.
Profile Image for Phil J.
734 reviews58 followers
June 1, 2018
Disturbing, gut-wrenching book about the Hiroshima bombing.

The text is composed of terse, immaculate sentences that sketch the outlines of what happened, and the illustrations graphically describe the pain and sorrow of the civilians who were bombed.

The Hiroshima bombing remains controversial to this day, with arguments being made on both sides. This book should be part of the discussion.

Recommended for: I intend to use it in Middle School the next time I teach a WWII topic. I don't know how young I would go with it, though. It would depend on the timing and the context. This might be one of those more intense books that you can roll out in the late winter when the students are feeling a little more safe and comfortable. So maybe under the right circumstances you could use it with 8 or 9 year olds.

Incidentally, the title translates to "The Flash of Hiroshima."
Profile Image for Kitty Red-Eye.
670 reviews36 followers
December 5, 2014
This little book is much better than my three stars express, it's just that it left me with a feeling of wrong, wrong, wrong. The format is perhaps for 3-5 year olds. But the contents is definitely not, it's the horrors of Hiroshima that day in August in 1945, and I wouldn't show that to such small children. Maybe it's a children's book for adults. I liked the illustrations. And the story is every bit as heartbreaking as the "Barefoot Gen" comics (about which I'm passionate by now), just almost infinitely shorter. There is no way to argue against the fact that bombs are terrible, and nuclear bombs are even more terrible, and that what happened to Hiroshima and Nagasaki's populations was unbelievably awful. But is that all there is to say on the subject? Was there a "Why"? - There definitely was. Does the "Why" really justify what happened? - I don't have the answer to that, there is way too much history and explaination into it for me to judge, especially since I don't know the different positions very well. But I know that there is a huge discourse around it, and a book for 3-year olds which focuses exclusively on the immense suffering of the population of Hiroshima doesn't even begin to cover it. I do believe it's important. But I think the genre and target group here is out of line, way out of line.
Profile Image for Heather.
18 reviews3 followers
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April 16, 2018
Text-to-World

Hiroshima No Pika is a powerful look at what happens to children, mothers, fathers and all people who are subjected to a nuclear bomb. This is a fictional account of actual events, and it should make everyone stop and think long and hard about dropping bombs on humans of any nationality. In today's international political climate, we are constantly hearing talks about nuclear weapons. Our President often casually throws out comments about bombing other countries around the world. While this book is hard to read and is of very serious subject matter, if we talk about these issues and consequences with children, they will (hopefully) grow up to already have opinions on how to avoid it. They will hopefully empathize with the characters in the book and grow up to think of nuclear weapons as something of horror that should only even be considered in the most dire of circumstances, if ever. If we don't talk about hard issues with children, we don't give them a chance to develop compassion and understanding at an early age and later could be too late.
Profile Image for Vicki.
568 reviews
August 31, 2018
This book was discussed in my children's lit class as an example of how picture books are a FORMAT, not a GENRE, in that there is nothing inherently cute or heart-warming about a picture book. In fact, this book is quite brutal.

Maruki's art is heavy, animated, and a bit overwhelming at times in a way that is quite effective. While the atomic bomb is not a "fun" topic of conversation, it is an important one. Young people should be taught about the disastrous effects of such devastating violence, and this is the book to do that.
Profile Image for Zaz.
1,700 reviews58 followers
November 11, 2018
Nothing really new for me, but it still always an event difficult to read about. Humankind is very good at doing ugly things. The story was well told, showing various things that happened because of the bomb, with fires, deaths, illnesses, etc. For me and with so few pages, it felt complete enough to present the event. The art wasn't at all my cup of tea but it worked with the story and succeeded to depict something horrible without being fully shocking.
Profile Image for Glenn Jacobson.
21 reviews3 followers
April 20, 2013
Without a doubt the most gripping and horrifying picture book I have ever read, Hiroshima No Pika, chronicles the explosion of the first of two atomic bombs dropped on Japan by the United States to end WWII. One moment Mii is happily eating sweet potatoes for breakfast with her family and the next moment they are fleeing their burning house after the massive explosion. The next day consists of running from fires past dead and dying people and animals. The images as well as the explanations are rattling and hard to imagine in real-life. At one point the family is left lying on the beach for four days before they can carry on to the safety of a school. Yet, numerous survivors die later due to radiation sickness, including Mii’s father. The book ends with the mother and daughter participating in the traditional floating lantern ceremony to honor those lost. The character’s appearances, dress, and home appear to be an accurate account of a Japanese culture. But after the flash, the images are hazy and twisted often including a black bull blended into the picture. From my research I can only interpret it as the animalistic nature of humankind and the connection to spiritual energy. Based on a true story the mother told to the author, this is a book that generates deep thought and hearty discussions.
Profile Image for Stacy Chrzastowski.
24 reviews1 follower
October 23, 2012
Grade Level/Interest Level: grade 3-4
Reading Level: Lexile Adult Directed 620L level, 3rd-4th grade
Main Characters: Mii, Mother, Father
POV: third person omniscient narrator
Setting: Hiroshima

This story is about a young girl, her mother, and her father surviving the nuclear bomb in Hiroshima. The story starts off where their house explodes, they wake up, and the mother leads the daughter and carries the father who is badly burned to safety. They travel very far to escape the fire. They end up sleeping near a beach for days to recover from their journey. The story ends with the tellings of the city being destroyed and all of the aftermath, including the death of their father. I really loved the idea that students can read about a tragedy that our country imposed on innocent people. Sometimes all students learn about is how great the United States is and justifications of this, but we have done tragic things to others. This story depicts this through an innocent girl who had to deal with this horrible bomb. The pictures are also very different and complex; the author was the illustrator as well. It is very hard to discern what is going on in each picture, but I believe this would be a great conversation to have with students.
24 reviews
February 3, 2014
I had chills and cried after reading this book and tried to imagine reading to a child of mine and the types of discussion that the graphic and disturbing images, I could only imagine, would generate. The emotion and pain conveyed by the highly expressionistic art in the book was haunting. This book would have to be read with a lot of explanation and forethought because of how devastating the subject matter truly is. I found myself questioning the actions that led up to the event and unnecessary suffering felt by millions. This is definitely a guided read, and an important insight into the lives lost in Hiroshima. It made me reflect on the differences in what is experienced by children all over the world while growing up. It made me reflect about why children are sheltered from the events that plague parents and kill children elsewhere and the naivety that is perpetuated to later and later stages in life in U.S culture. How do we explain events like this? How do we explain the differences in living standards and our role in the injustice? When is a good age to start?

The author, Toshi Maruki, for the best picture book in Japan, was awarded the Ehon Nippon award. She has been fighting for peace and advocating for nuclear disarmament ever since World War II.
70 reviews2 followers
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February 19, 2015
Hiroshima No Pika relates the experiences of a small family in Japan who struggle to survive during and in the aftermath of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.
With the vibrant and powerful illustrations , reminiscent of Picasso's Guernica, the book effectively communicates the panic, pain, fear, exhaustion, and nightmarish experiences of the bombing. The books descriptions of the city before and after provide a stark contrast, moving from "...Hiroshima's seven rivers flowed quietly through the city..." and "...the rays of the midsummer sun glittered..." to "...piles of cracked roof tiles, fallen telephone poles and wires, houses were burning on every side..." and "heaps of people everywhere".
Obviously this is a very grim book, which is appropriate as the event itself was incredibly grim. Because of the nudity and disturbing images, I would not read this to a class younger than high school, but this book would be appropriate for a high school class on Hiroshima, it communicates the devastation clearly without being too graphic. This book would be a good one to pair with "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" as it covers the actual event more, while Sadako goes in depth about the generation after and how they were impacted.
Profile Image for Samantha.
60 reviews
February 24, 2010
While this picture is accessible for a younger audience. I think the content and images would be more appropriate for mature middle school students and older. Upper elementary students could understand the book, but I think they would need to have a substantial discussion after to process the information and feelings related to the bombing of Hiroshima. I would use this book to introduce lessons about the war or the dropping of the bomb.

The book tells the story of a family the morning of and days after the bomb is dropped. It describes their confusion in the moments following along with the mother’s heroic actions. They continue trying to find safety, but something unexpected occurs – the fire moves or there is no one to help. The loss of life is presented honestly through the words and images.

I enjoyed this book because of how powerful it was. I found the story and images to be extremely depressing and upsetting, but I gained a great sense of understanding about how the event could have impacted this small child. The images are awkward and not very realistic, but it helps add to the emotion of their content.
Profile Image for Katina.
1 review
May 23, 2010
I had previously heard of this book but did not think it would be so poignant. The descriptions of the scenes, the imagery and artistry depicted, the colors used and of course the view point of Mii certainly changed my mind about a simple picture book, which this book is not just a simple picture book.

Mii, a 7 year old little girl, shares her minutes before the “flash” and the hours after with enough detail that it forces you to pause and attempt to image the devastation of what a little girl should never have had to see, as her mother attempted to save herself, her husband and her daughter by fleeing the city after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. I was especially touched by little Mii noticing the sparrow, who’s wings had been burned off and could no longer fly, so it hopped along. The viewpoint from this little girl is enough to provide us with plenty of reasons to move far beyond nuclear war by never forgetting what occurred in Hiroshima. This book can be used as an important door way for discussion with older children about the consequences of war, definitely a book for a teacher's library.
Profile Image for L11_Laura.
17 reviews
March 5, 2011
This is a heart-wrenching book based on the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, on August 6th, 1945. The story begins by describing how the people of Hiroshima were prepared for any attacks from the United States, and then focuses on one family having breakfast the day the atomic bomb was dropped. How the family escaped, and found refuge by a river and watched as the city was engulfed in flames and destroyed. The author's descriptions make the scenes vivid, and you can almost feel what the family felt as they watched people and animals, float lifeless through the river. The story continues on through the years describing how the little girl in the story never grew again, and the father died of a horrible cancer caused from the radiation in the atomic bomb. Similarly, it described the lasting effects the disaster had on Hiroshima as well as its people who are still suffering from rare, incurable diseases.

This book is geared toward 5-8th grade, and could even be used at the high school level to discuss ethical decisions that were made by the U.S. when deciding to drop the atomic bomb.
Profile Image for Erin Reilly-Sanders.
1,009 reviews23 followers
February 17, 2012
It's much harder to say that I liked this one than it is to say that it is good. I don't think that anyone is supposed to like books on this subject. The illustrations are ugly (not necessarily a bad thing) and disturbing while the story is plain, to the point and often emotionless. There is certainly something to be said for illustrations that are so different that they demand that you think about them. The flowing forms of nude people really make you want to develop reasons for their portrayal like that, as do a the flights of dresses above. Some may be concerned about either the content of this book or the nudity but I have read several scholarly studies that used this book with children. Their students seemed comfortable with the story and to enjoy the process of making meaning from the provoking illustrations. The only reason I do not give this a higher rating is that it is so difficult to "like" a book about a difficult subject, just as it is difficult for me to count this among the books that speak most to be personally. However, I think this book has the potential to speak powerful words when investigated in classrooms, creating a memorable social experience.
May 6, 2016
Hiroshima No Pika is a picture book for older children, maybe ages 8-12. I read this as an e-book.

The book is an abstractly-illustrated depiction of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki nearing the end of World War II. It focuses on a young girl and her family escaping Hiroshima after the initial impact of the first bomb.

This is definitely geared towards older children. I was shocked at some of the graphic descriptions of events: people burning, collapsing in the streets, the main character's father slowly dying of cancer. I understand what the author's trying to do, especially after reading the author's note at the end of the book in which he describes his inspiration for writing the story. It's based on actual events told to him by a Japanese woman at one of his art exhibits.

The illustrations are hauntingly beautiful and look like they should belong in a museum. My only criticism of this book is how graphic it is, and that it may disturb very young children. I suppose with events like these, it's hard to really water down the awful details and, in a way, it might be insulting to victims of the bombings if one wasn't honest about these things.

04/29/2016
Profile Image for Holly Smith.
29 reviews
September 10, 2013
This is another book based on World Ward Two. This point of view from someone in Japan during the bombing of Hiroshima. This story is based on a Wife/Mother who had the strength and courage to carry her wounded husband and pull her young daughter across multiple rivers trying to reach safety from the after math of "Little Boy". The illustrations in this book are very abstract, trying to show the horrific scene playing out in Hiroshima on that day, but still not wanting to be to graphic for a child.

I would again use this book while students are studying World War Two. This way students are getting yet another point of view of the affects the second world war had on different countries. However, this book is probably the toughest to deal with as far as trying not to offend anyone in the classroom or having students speak out too severely about either of the countries involved. I would just have students take down a few of the factual information in this book to have in their dates. Rather than ask them opinion based questions on this book.
Profile Image for Yuyine.
889 reviews50 followers
September 15, 2017
Il me semblait essentiel de vous parler de ce livre illustré absolument nécessaire, trop méconnu, et profondément marquant. Lors de la première lecture que j’en avais faite, quelques années auparavant, je n’avais pas pu terminer ces quelques 40 pages car les larmes avaient pris le dessus. Avec les mots justes, dans un style épuré et en même temps si imagé, Toshiko Maruki a su transmettre le témoignage qu’elle a elle-même reçu et nous l’envoie en plein cœur. Si l’horreur nous paraît aujourd’hui un peu loin, l’album vous plonge pleinement dedans. Et ce, non pas dans une démonstration morbide mais dans la volonté d’être un message de paix afin que tout ceci ne se reproduise plus jamais. Et il me semble essentiel d’en parler ce mois-ci, parce que le sujet revient, de façon beaucoup trop anodine et que les larmes provoquées par cette lecture me sont alors revenues en mémoire. Pika, l’éclair d’Hiroshima est une œuvre majeure,

Pour lire la suite de cette critique, rendez-vous sur yuyine.be !
Profile Image for Sara Stelmach.
31 reviews5 followers
May 12, 2018
The international historical fiction picture book “Hiroshima No Pika” by Toshi Maruki is a story that tells a necessary narrative of the horrors that happened in Hiroshima.The story is told through a young girl's eyes of her small family's experience of the atomic bomb. It is told with extremely graphic pictures, but this appropriate for the story. There are bodies that are naked, bloodied and warped in the picture book pages. This makes this book only appropriate for older readers. This book helps the average person gain insight to the horrors of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima making it a perfect book to read when older students are learning about World War II. I believe the reader has to be mature to read this book but it is very necessary to tell the sad story and include all the terrible things that happened because they did happen. I believe these images are the best way to tell the story because photographs were not advanced in that time and do not show the depth of what happened. I would recommend this to a high school class learning about history and World War II.
Profile Image for Heather.
1,264 reviews60 followers
June 15, 2017
1983 Batchelder Award Winner

This book has been controversial--many adults think that children are not ready for the disturbing subject matter or the horrible imagery. I think if I had children, I might read it to them depending on what it seemed like they could handle at the time.

In any case, it's an important subject for anyone to know about. I visited Hiroshima in 2005 and spent hours in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. After that experience, I honestly don't care what the reasons were for dropping the bomb or how effective it was at ending the war. What happened to the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should never happen to anyone again, which is the premise of this book. My whole soul shook with horror in the museum when I saw the images of what the bomb did to people's bodies and to their possessions. I was sick with the wrongness of it. This book is a stunning supplement to that experience and a starting point to discussing it with mature children.
Profile Image for Rebecca Palermo.
40 reviews1 follower
October 31, 2017
Summary:
This book is about the bomb in Hiroshima during World War II. The story is told from a seven year old, Mii, and discusses the effects of the bombing, both during and after.

Evaluation:
I liked this book and I thought it was extremely informative. The perspective of the young child really makes you realize how thankful you are for. I would be hesitant to use this book in my class due to the nudity in the illustrations. However, I found this book to be a great resource for teaching about this historical time in history so I would probably sent home permission forms before reading it to the students.

Teaching Point:
I would use this book in my classroom while teaching World War II. This book will allow students to see the effects of this bombing from the U.S. on Hiroshima. I would have my students write a letter to the president of the U.S. during this time about why this was wrong and the effects it had on Hiroshima.
31 reviews
September 19, 2018
This book was written about the Hiroshima bombing. I never heard about this book, until I saw it for an assignment in my LIS class. I knew what it was going to be about, based on the title. However, I was very shocked when I actually read this. I found this book very interesting, however it was disturbing to me. I would not read this to younger children. This book is meant for older students, I would say 4th grade at the lowest and up. This is a good choice to pick if you are a middle school or high school history teacher. This is a multicultural book, too. This is a great way to show a perspective on how bad and brutal this event was.

The images in this book really shows what happened. They graphically describe the pain of this tragic event. The images are very scarring, including naked bloated bodies of the men, women and children floating down the rivers. The author uses watercolor painted illustrations.
Profile Image for Anna.
15 reviews1 follower
June 11, 2013
This book made me cry. Hiroshima No Pika is a story based on the true account a woman retold to the author, many years after the story took place. It is the story of the woman and her daughter and husband. Mii is the daughter's name, only seven years old when the bomb dropped on their home in Hiroshima. The woman carried her husband on her back and took her daughter by the hand as the fled from the terrible scene and scorching flames.


SPOILER ALERT
Years later, Mii never grew and remained the size of a seven year old girl. As for Mii's father, he later died of radiation sickness. I have never cried at a picture book so much in my entire life... It was heartbreaking to hear the destruction that happened to these people, and then all over again to the people of Nagasaki. Never agin should another bomb be dropped. Never again.
Profile Image for Alasia Kinton.
21 reviews1 follower
November 30, 2016
The art style is what truly drew me to this book. It is beautiful and rich, with vibrant and fiery reds and golds. The Art is akin to the ancient Japanese art style used primarily in the edo period where features would be muddled and not well defined, and people were drawn creamy and almost deformed with long faces and limbs. It fit the style of the book nicely. The story follows a family that barely survives the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and how the bomb affected them. It is an extremely dark and grim tale that leaves little to the imagination. It works in showing the young readers exactly what the family had to go through, through the eyes of a little girl, and how it damaged their entire way of life. It leaved children with a sour taste in their mouth and perhaps a dampened mood but is a good piece of historical fiction that is sure to shake children and make them think.
Profile Image for Nancy.
117 reviews
November 19, 2010
Published: 1982, HarperCollins Publishers
Age: 12+

This story is told from the prospective of an innocent little girl named Mii, who will break your heart. As she and her mother and father are eating breakfast one morning, the atomic bomb is dropped in what the book calls, “the flash”. This is another example of the atrocities of war from the Japanese side. The story shows Mii and her mother trying to escape the devastation. Maruki doesn’t take a side, she just shows the aftermath of what happens when a bomb is dropped. The pictures are disturbing but painted in an abstract way to lessen the harshness for young children. This is an important book to remind everyone of the realistic horrors of war.
Profile Image for Kelly.
46 reviews
November 18, 2011
Hiroshima No Pika is a tragic story told by the perspective of a young girl who tells the story of the day the atomic bomb dropped onto the city of Hiroshima.

These pictures bring me into the book to feel as if I could be in that town during that time. They are shocking to a young audience due to the fact that some of the characters become naked, however, I think that once discussing this book the children can understand that it is because literally their clothes were burned off of them in this tremendously act.

Thinking about this book and the audience I would target reading this book is 5th grade and higher. Who says that older kids can't read picture books? I think this is right on target with content that is discussed and so relevant.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews

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