Wonderful and powerful . . . This story has kept our memories alive. -Toshimi Ishida, survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, student at Honkawa Elementary School [This] inspiring story . . . reminds us to live hand in hand together on this earth. -Hiroko Matsui, first lady of Hiroshima There's never been a story like this in English. Running with Cosmos Flowers is like a Bible of Peace. -Tomoko Furusawa, survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, student at Honkawa Elementary School Gr 6 Up—A survivor looks back at the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in this harrowing story of heartbreak and survival. Hanako, an elderly woman who lived through the bombing as a child, recounts her memories when she is unexpectedly confronted with the sight of a childhood drawing she created in the wake of World War II. Though Hanako's story is fiction, it feels very much like memoir. Based on survivor accounts, the dropping of the bomb and its aftermath are relayed in intense detail, and illustrated with photographs and real children's drawings. The writing is evocative, though its style, characterized by a lack of quotation marks and a dreamlike quality that floats randomly between past and present tense, may appeal more to adults than children. Adding to its memoirlike mood, the narrative isn't strongly plot-driven. Readers gain a vivid picture of the bombing and the rebuilding of Hiroshima through anecdotes that are sometimes loosely connected but nevertheless leave a strong impression. Perhaps the most heartbreaking scene occurs when Hanako finds out the fate of her mother and baby brother. This book will appeal to those who were touched by the 1988 animated film Grave of the Fireflies and will undoubtedly prompt readers to learn more about the bombing of Hiroshima and the desperation of daily life in Japan immediately after the war. Children may not pick up this book immediately but will appreciate its value if led to it.—Allison Tran, Mission Viejo Library, CA Running with Cosmos Flowers is a wonderful and powerful book that brought back the most unbelievable and painful memories of my childhood. The main character Hana-chan and I share many things, especially her sadness and longing for the mother and sister she lost in the bombing of Hiroshima. But the pain of her loss is beautifully balanced by the stories of the children huddled around a cold stove in their leaky classroom, their friendship and vitality, and the gifts they later receive from America. To this day I remember the colorful American marbles they sent and how badly I wanted some. This story has kept our memories alive again. Despite the terrible events of World War II, a beautiful friendship bloomed between Japan and America. I am certain that this book will contribute to world peace. (Toshimi Ishida, Survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, former student of Honkawa Elementary School 2014-08-01) "There's never been a story like this in English. Running with Cosmos Flowers is like a Bible of peace." —Tomoko Furusawa, survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima, former student of Honkawa Elementary School "Shizumi's dedication and perseverance to sharing this amazing and important story . . . are to be congratulated." —Myron Belkind, president, National Press Club "With great sensitivity, delicacy, and authenticity, Shizumi Shigeto Manale and Richard Marshall achieve the near impossible. . . . While powerfully evoking the terrible tragedy that befell the people of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and its painful aftermath, the authors have nonetheless created a beautiful work of hope and reconciliation, with true emotion but devoid of easy sentimentality or platitudes. It is a work that truly honors the epochal events depicted in its pages by confronting both the human race's capacity for unimaginable destruction and, conversely, the miracle of goodness. This is an extraordinary book." —Michael Singer, author "This powerful tale of hope, despair, and ultimate triumph, with its remarkable attention to the details of daily life, is a testament to the vitality of the human spirit." —Peter Kuznick, director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University and coauthor with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States, and Simki Kuznick, award-winning poet Shizumi Shigeto Manale was born in Hiroshima three years after the end of World War II. She is an internationally renowned dancer, choreographer, director, and film producer. Her documentary film, Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard, has been screened at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Embassy of the United States in Tokyo, and the National Press Club. The former artistic director of the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC, Manale has been honored with the County Executive's Award for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities from Montgomery County, Maryland; the ACE award for excellence in dance and drama; and the President's Volunteer Service Award. Manale lives with her husband in S