Flowers for Sarajevo

By John McCutcheon, Kristy Caldwell (Illustrator)

In war-torn Sarajevo, a boy finds hope through music after a tragic bombing.

4.3/5 Goodreads · 426 ratings

32 pages

$19.95Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

In Sarajevo, young Drasko faces the chaos of war alone at his family's flower stand. After a devastating bakery bombing kills twenty-two, a cellist plays daily at the site, honoring each victim. Inspired by this act of defiance and beauty, Drasko seeks his own way to restore hope and beauty to his shattered city. Can music and resilience triumph over violence? Discover the power of art in the face of despair in this moving tale based on true events from the Bosnian War.

From the publisher

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.

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

At a glance