In 1945, just after the end of World War II, Captain Orval Amdahl brought home a Japanese sword as a souvenir of war. Sixty-eight years later, he gave it back.
Orval Amdahl grew up in rural Minnesota and enlisted in the Marines during World War II. In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending the war. Soon after, Orval's division was sent to keep the peace in Nagasaki, and the devastation he witnessed there haunted him. When he returned home, he tried to move on, but he couldn't forget the war--or the sword. And many years later, at the age of ninety-three, he got a chance to do something incredible. He met with the family of the soldier who had owned the sword and returned it to them.
A powerful story of war, peace, and reconciliation from author Caren Stelson and illustrator Amanda Yoshida.
Language
Place of publication
Publishing group
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From Second Grade to Fifth Grade, Reading Age: From 9 to 10 years, Interest Age: From 7 to 11 years
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Picture book
Reinforced binding
Illustrations
Bibliography; Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 284 mm
Width: 244 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Weight
ISBN-13
979-8-7656-1153-1 (9798765611531)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Caren Stelson is an award-winning author of nonfiction books that focus on war and peace themes. She believes young readers want to know the truth about their world and how others find resilience and courage in difficult times. Her work includes Ezra Jack Keats BookAward winner A Bowl Full of Peace and Sachiko: A Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor's Story, which was longlisted for a National Book Award and received a Sibert Honor Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, and the Flora Stieglitz Straus Award. Caren and her husband, Kim, live in Minneapolis. www.carenstelson.com