Sadako+and+the+Thousand+Paper+Cranes


 * By Jamilah and Tatiana (Grade 4)**

Hiroshima was the first city in the world attacked by a nuclear weapon: the atom bomb. Over 60,000 people died from the bomb blast. More than 100,000 were seriously injured. Many of them suffered radiation burns and sickness, and later developed cancer. Many eventually died of leukemia and other types of cancers caused by the atom bomb. Even today, people still suffer a higher risk of cancer because of the atom bomb dropping.

A girl named Sadako Sasaki lived in Hiroshima when the atom bomb was dropped. Although she was only a baby when the bomb was dropped, it still affected her. On February 10th, 1955, Sadako was at school, when suddenly she passed out. As soon as her mother and father heard about the tragedy they rushed her to the hospital.

One day, when Sadako was still in the hospital, her best friend, Chizuko, brought in some square pieces of paper. She showed Sadako how to make paper cranes. Japanese legend has it that if a sick person folds 1,000 paper cranes, the gods will heal them.

When Sadako was in the hospital she met a boy named Kenji, who had the same sickness as her. While in the hospital they got to know each other well. Kenji’s story was a little sad. He got the sickness from his mom when she was pregnant with him. Both of his parents died and his aunt could only see him once a week. The day after he told Sadako his story, Kenji died from leukemia.

Sadako’s story is also sad. After making 644 cranes, she also died of leukemia. She was just twelve years old. After she died, her classmates had an idea to build a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane in her hands. In 1958 the statue was built in Hiroshima Peace Park. At the base it says “This is our cry, this is our prayer; peace in the world.” It still is and always will be there. Maybe in the future there will be no such thing as war, fighting or other violence. There will be peace in the world, just as the statue says.