On August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and on August 9, another fell on Nagasaki. Within a few years of the bombing, more than 340,000 people died and even today, many are suffering from harmful effects of radiation.

This picture book contains poetry and compositions written by children who experienced the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima in 1945. When Chihiro visited Hiroshima to prepare this book, she could not sleep at all, thinking of the lives of those who passed away.

The Girl and Tomatoes, From Watashi ga Chiisakatta Toki ni (When I was a Child), Doshinsha, 1967

Instead of dead bodies and wounded children, this book shows children playing, a baby wrapped up in an air-raid hood, a blind mother holding her dead baby, along with other mothers and children who were alive in Hiroshima on that day. After completing the book, Chihiro said, “As we read the notes that the children left, we can vividly see the misery of the war. I think that my role is to show how adorable these children were—the children who were dragged into the war.”

Untitled,　 Tomoko Sato, 5th Grade Girl
My little sister Yoshiko was
burnt and was lying in bed.
She said that she wanted to eat
tomatoes.
So mommy went out,
to buy some,
and when she was gone,
little Yoshiko died.
“I could give you nothing but
potatoes, and you died.”
said mommy, and she cried.
I also cried.
Everyone cried.
Tomoko Sato
5th grade girl
From Watashi ga Chiisakatta Toki ni (When I was a Child) by Tokomo Sato