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Flowers for Sarajevo
Flowers for Sarajevo | John McCutcheon
6 posts | 8 read | 3 to read
The moving story of a young boy who discovers the power of beauty and kindness during a time of war. Drasko helps his father sell flowers in Sarajevo, but when war threatens and his father is called to the battlefront, Drasko must take over the flower stall. One morning the boys familiar routine is shattered when a mortar shell hits the bakery, killing twenty-two people. The next day, a cellist from the Sarajevo Opera Orchestra goes to the crater and plays the most beautiful music that Drasko can imagine. Inspired, he looks for ways to ease the sorrow of those around him. Based on real events of the Bosnian War, award-winning songwriter and storyteller John McCutcheon tells the uplifting story of the power of beauty in the face of violence and suffering. The story comes to life with the included CD in which cellist Vedrun Smailovic accompanies McCutcheon and performs the melody that he played in 1992 to honor those who died in the Sarajevo mortar blast.
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jjbowenkunkler
Flowers for Sarajevo | John McCutcheon
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Just like your father

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jjbowenkunkler
Flowers for Sarajevo | John McCutcheon

I thought that this book was an interesting story about a town that was in the middle of the world war one. I thought the aspect of the mortar destroying the bakery and making the people come together is the lesson that children need to learn.

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jjbowenkunkler
Flowers for Sarajevo | John McCutcheon
Pickpick

Historical fiction and was written in 2017. This book is about a young living in a country that was at war and selling flowers to make his keep. It begins with the boy's father and him selling flowers to everyone. The war had come and this meant that his father would have to leave. Drakso had to take care of the flowers on his own. One day a mortar took out a bakery up the street and killed people. This made the town come together.

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GatheringBooks
Flowers for Sarajevo | John McCutcheon
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Pickpick

#OctoberXFiles Day 1: This cellist is essentially #BitinTheBullet as he continues to play music even after the devastation wreaked by the bombing of Bosnia. I was moved by this narrative that demonstrated courage, beauty, strength of purpose – without articulating all those words. One could simply feel it through Drasko‘s resolve mirrored by this undaunted musician who found – and created – beauty in the Sarajevo rubble. https://wp.me/pDlzr-gIM

Robothugs What a good pick 💗 6y
Cinfhen I read and loved 6y
Cinfhen Brilliant choice 6y
GatheringBooks @Robothugs thank you!! 💕 6y
GatheringBooks @Cinfhen i have yet to read my copy or watch the movie, but know of it through one of the GatheringBooks ladies‘ review. Hopefully I get to it soonest! 🤣😭📚🧚🏼‍♀️ 6y
67 likes5 comments
review
BookInMyHands
Flowers for Sarajevo | John McCutcheon
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Pickpick

Drasko and his father run a flower booth in Sarajevo. When his father goes to war, Drasko is left o run the booth alone and navigate the street vendor politics.

When a bomb explodes on the street, Drasko and others look for ways to show kindness and make Sarajevo beautiful once again.

This is a great picture book for grade schoolers, and lends itself to talking about war and building empathy.

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LibrarianRyan
Flowers for Sarajevo | John McCutcheon
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Pickpick

Talking to kids about war is not easy or fun. For many, the ideas are too far away. It‘s not here, it‘s not now. This beautifully illustrated book makes it here and now. It places the reader in Drasko‘s shoes as he waits for his dad to return from war, while also keeping family and himself safe. The book is not too harsh or real to share with younger ones, but at the same time is not so simple and dumbed down to make it irrelevant.

36 likes3 stack adds