A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story

Powerful Anti-War, Anti-Nuclear Message I love it when children's fiction is based on a true story, and this one is. It tells the story of a little girl who grew up in Nagasaki, Japan, in the 1940s. You probably already know the way this will go. Before the bombing, we see a little of the little girl and her family's life, including how the family gathers around their grandmother's bowl each night as they have dinner. When the war starts, we see the way the family eats changes over time, as they do not have access to their normal foods. The book shows several pages of the devastation that happened in Nagasaki after the bomb was dropped, but we learn that the family continues to suffer for years after the horrific incident as members continue to die because of illness caused by the bomb. The one bright light happens when the family returns to Nagasaki after some time; they find the grandmother's bowl in the rubble of their old house, and it has not then cracked or even chipped. At the end of the book, the author shares the true story of the young girl and even shares a picture of the actual bowl. The illustrations in this are well done and certainly evocative of Japanese culture. If you need to explain what happened in Japan at the end of World War II to a young child, this book could help. If you want to express your frustration with or objection to war or nuclear power, this book could certainly give weight to your points. But be warned that there is, of course, a lot of loss shown in this book, including the death of parents and siblings, which could be traumatic for a child. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.