Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson, Susan Roth
After beingrescuedand nursed to health by the villagers, Mortenson wonders what he can doto thank them.Advised by a wise elder to listen to the wind, Mortenson becomes aware of childrens voices, children he has helped teach during his convalescence,and he decides to build them a school. Greg listened, heard the eager voices of students at their lessons, and promised to return to build a school. Wanting to do something special for the village, he was encouraged by wise man Haji Ali to “listen to the wind.” Dr. The picture-book narrative successfully compresses Mortensons story by focusing on the elements most important to children: the strangers appearance, the drama of the construction, thehappy conclusion. The remarkable account of this quest, which involved constructing a bridge and manually carrying supplies to the building site, is magnificently enhanced by Roth’s colorful collages. Starred Review. Greg met the children of Korphe, who were eager to learn but were forced to write their lessons with sticks on the ground. After getting lost while climbing the world’s second tallest mountain, the K2 in the Baltistan region of Pakistan, Mortenson, a nurse, stumbled into a small village and learned of the dire circumstances in which local people lived. This truly exceptional and moving title should not be missed.Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA All rights reserved.
As explained in an artist’s note, she incorporated fabric, bits of paper, and other fibers into the scenery in appreciation of the Balti people’s aesthetic use of scraps. “A Korphe Scrapbook” follows the story, displaying photographs of the events, the village’s inhabitants, and the librarian who helped to fill this school and the 57 more schools that have since been built in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Kindergarten-Grade 4Holding true to the original title for adults, Three Cups of Tea (Viking, 2006), this moving story will amaze and inspire young readers.
