Title: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
Author: Eleanor Coerr
Published: 1977
ISBN: 9780340266076
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Planes is based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, who was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. Sadako is an athletic girl and helps her team win the relay race. However, after her victory, Sadako is struck by dizziness. These dizzy spells continue to occur, and when she is twelve years old she is diagnosed with leukaemia, called the atomic bomb disease by Sadako and her peers. Sadako is admitted to hospital. A visiting friend of hers reminds her of the legend of the crane: that if a sick person folds 1000 cranes, they will be mad well again. In the story, Sadako diligently folds 644 cranes, but dies before she can finish. Her two friends fold the remaining origami cranes and bury them with Sadako.
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Eleanor Coerr (May 29, 1922 – November 22, 2010) was a Canadian-born American author. She wrote children's novels and picture books, her most well-known work being Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. She had a fascination with Japan since childhood, and travelled to Japan as an adult. While visiting Hiroshima, Coerr saw the statue of Sadako and was inspired by her story. After years of searching, she obtained a copy of Sadako's autobiography and started work on Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.