The Girl Gazing Ahead

Chihiro produced three picture books during her life based on the theme of war. For this book, the first of the three, she created illustrations for compositions and poems written by school children who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Commenting on the book, Chihiro said, “When you read what these children wrote, one can fully understand the cruelty of war. My role was to let readers know just how adorable these children were who found themselves in that situation.”