Close Modal
Wish List 0 Wish List 0
Download high-resolution image Look inside

Flowers for Sarajevo

Author John McCutcheon
Illustrated by Kristy Caldwell
Look inside
Paperback
$8.99 US
Holiday House | Peachtree
10.88"W x 9.48"H x 0.13"D   | 6 oz | 72 per carton
On sale Jan 30, 2024 | 32 Pages | 9781682636749
Age 7-10 years | Grades 2-5
Reading Level: Fountas & Pinnell W
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
See Additional Formats
Young Drasko is happy working with his father in the Sarajevo market. Then war encroaches. Drasko must run the family flower stand alone.

One morning, the bakery is bombed and twenty-two people are killed. The next day, a cellist walks to the bombsite and plays the most heartbreaking music Drasko can imagine. The cellist returns for twenty-two days, one day for each victim of the bombing. Inspired by the musician's response, Drasko finds a way to help make Sarajevo beautiful again.

Inspired by 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 Vedran Smailović accompanies McCutcheon and performs the melody that he played in 1992 to honor those who died in the Sarajevo mortar blast.
"Moving. . . A bittersweet account of the power of art in dark times."—Booklist

★ "Text and illustrations work together to remind readers of the power of beauty in the face of human suffering. . . . A highly recommended book that highlights the capacity for empathy and humanity, even in a society faced with violence and war."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ "Beauty will always find a way to rise from violence, but this is a reminder all readers need."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"[A] powerful story of a musical performance that defied the horror of combat."—Publishers Weekly
A Wisconsin native, John McCutcheon is an accomplished instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who has produced over forty albums. He has received multiple Grammy nominations and numerous other awards, and regularly appears on National Public Radio. The author of several picture books, he lives in Georgia.

A Louisiana native, Kristy Caldwell received an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts and has illustrated several picture books and graphic novels. She lives in New York with her partner, theater director Kelly O'Donnell.
John McCutcheon View titles by John McCutcheon
Kristy Caldwell View titles by Kristy Caldwell

About

Young Drasko is happy working with his father in the Sarajevo market. Then war encroaches. Drasko must run the family flower stand alone.

One morning, the bakery is bombed and twenty-two people are killed. The next day, a cellist walks to the bombsite and plays the most heartbreaking music Drasko can imagine. The cellist returns for twenty-two days, one day for each victim of the bombing. Inspired by the musician's response, Drasko finds a way to help make Sarajevo beautiful again.

Inspired by 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 Vedran Smailović accompanies McCutcheon and performs the melody that he played in 1992 to honor those who died in the Sarajevo mortar blast.

Praise

"Moving. . . A bittersweet account of the power of art in dark times."—Booklist

★ "Text and illustrations work together to remind readers of the power of beauty in the face of human suffering. . . . A highly recommended book that highlights the capacity for empathy and humanity, even in a society faced with violence and war."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

★ "Beauty will always find a way to rise from violence, but this is a reminder all readers need."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"[A] powerful story of a musical performance that defied the horror of combat."—Publishers Weekly

Author

A Wisconsin native, John McCutcheon is an accomplished instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter who has produced over forty albums. He has received multiple Grammy nominations and numerous other awards, and regularly appears on National Public Radio. The author of several picture books, he lives in Georgia.

A Louisiana native, Kristy Caldwell received an MFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts and has illustrated several picture books and graphic novels. She lives in New York with her partner, theater director Kelly O'Donnell.
John McCutcheon View titles by John McCutcheon
Kristy Caldwell View titles by Kristy Caldwell

Additional formats

Other Books by this Author

Privacy Policy   |   Terms of Use

© 2024 Penguin Random House

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)