Remembering Eleanor Coerr

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of author Eleanor Coerr. She was 88. Best known as the author of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes/, she got the idea for the book after living in Japan and learning about Sadako Sasaki’s story.

Read School Library Journal‘s obituary for Coerr HERE.

Purchase Coerr’s books on audio below:
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes – Narrated by Christina Moore
Sadako is born in Hiroshima shortly before the atomic bomb is dropped. She grows into a wonderful, high-spirited girl with dreams of becoming the fastest runner in her school. One day at school, she has a dizzy spell and collapses. At the hospital, Sadako and her family learn that the atomic bomb sickness has begun to affect her. To pass the time during her hospital stay, she begins to build origami cranes. First published in 1977, Eleanor Coerr’s Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is a classic of the modern age. Based on the life of a real girl who lived and died in Japan, Sadako’s heartbreaking story endures as a tribute to the spirit and bravery of a young girl facing terminal illness. Coerr’s work speaks to the injustices of war and the dream of world peace, imparting the message that human life is fundamentally the same, regardless of race, religion or nationality.

The Josefina Story Quilt – Narrated by Barbara Caruso
In 1850, young Faith and her family move from Missouri to California. As they pack their covered wagon, they can only take things that they really need. Faith loves her chicken, Josefina, and wants to take her along—but Josefina is only a pet. When the wagon is packed, Faith starts to say good-by to her chicken, but Pa hands her a cage. Josefina can go!—if she is good. On the long trip, Faith sews patches for a quilt. When she gets to California, each piece will remind her of something that happened on the trip. As Faith sews tiny stitches, Josefina clucks softly. Soon Faith has finished several patches—some are pictures about her pet. The only problem is Josefina can’t stay out of trouble! For years, I Can Read Books™ have entertained children as they encouraged independent reading. Filled with excitement, fun, and danger, The Josefina Story Quilt, will delight young listeners while they discover how boys and girls lived long ago—and will inspire them to read for themselves.