Mieko and the Fifth Treasure

"Mieko and the Fifth Treasure" is about a girl, Mieko, who is a very talented painter and calligrapher. She paints Japanese word pictures, for which you need four treasures: the brush, the inkstick, the inkstone, and the rice paper. However, she is fortunate enough to have the fifth treasure- beauty in the heart, which holds the key to her beautiful artowork, that is until the bomb drops on Nagasaki. Her village is devastated and she badly injures her hand. She is sent to the country to live with her grandparents where she has to attend a new school with less than friendly classmates. After the bombing she is frightened and miserable, refusing to even pick up a paintbrush. She meets a kind classmate, Yoshi, who with the help of Mieko's grandparents and her Aunt Hisako help guide her back to happiness and painting once again.

I read this in school and I would definately use it in a classroom. It is a great way to learn about another culture through a very touching and inspiring literary work, as Japanese customs, beliefs, and art are conveyed through the story. Mieko's recovery from her stage of darkness has an inspirtational message about friendship, confidence, and never giving up hope.