Listen to the Wind: A Village in Pakistan Builds a School

"Three Cups of Tea" was the inspirational story of how one man, Greg Mortenson made a difference in the lives of children in the mountainous region of Central Asia, through his foundation the Central Asia Institute and also Pennies for Peace. The book focused on the fundraising initiatives and how Greg and his team were eventually able to build dozens of schools in the region. I was delighted when I found out that there was children's version of this book, i.e. a picture book that I could share with my 4 year-old daughter. In 'Listen to the Wind", illustrator Susan Roth uses collages [made using fabric, cut paper and other items] to help Greg tell his story in a manner that will be accessible to younger children. The collages are simply beautiful and will inspire readers to try their own collage projects at home [my daughter and I were]. For those young readers who are curious about the actual place and people in the story, there is a scrapbook in the book that contains photographs of Korphe and its' people. This is essential for all school and public libraries. The story is inspiring and teaches about charity - in "Listen to the Wind", younger children will be able to share in this true-life hope-filled story of one man's courage and determination to make a difference, and of the hope given to the people in Central Asia.

I was looking for a read-aloud book for my 4th grade class, and opted for a short picture book. When I saw 'Listen to the Wind' on display at my local bookstore, it literally stopped me dead in my tracks. The cover was colorful, and the fabric seemed to jump off the pages. It was though I could feel the softeness of the clothing and feel the roughness of the terrain. I'd previously read 'Three Cups of Tea' and was very excited when I saw the reference. After flipping through the pages and reading the shortened version of my favorite story, I knew this was perfect for my students. I sat in the car in the parking lot and read it from cover to cover, crying through each page. The artistry helped remind me of the beautiful story of Dr. Greg. This book has been added to my 'must have' list. Thank you, Susan Roth, your success in bringing this book to life.

The story is now well-known (Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson) so all I will say about this is I am thrilled to see a picture-book edition. Now this important and timely story may be shared with even the youngest. Yet Listen to the Wind is a valuable read for middle readers and adults, as well. There are so many lessons in the illustrations alone. At the end of the book, the illustrator, Susan Roth, tells why she used the collage medium, seamlessly integrating her beautiful pictures into the theme of saving the world and using its resources wisely, just as the pure and natural people in the village of Korphe have done for thousands of years. Listen to the Wind, along with the other 2 editions of the book (Three Cups of Tea, adult and young readers) would be a fabulous choice for a school's "one read" project!

As a recently retired teacher of young children, I've already purchased 2 copies of this book, recommended it to all of my teacher friends, other friends, my school, my local libraries, and I even sent a copy to my last year's penpal class in Germany!!! The beautiful and brilliant colors of the artwork simply leap out and amaze you. Every single page is full of the artistically intricate details that children treasure and use for inspiration in their own creations. When I saw that THREE CUPS OF TEA was "translated" into the universal language of art and kid-speak, it was so exciting, because how many picture books translate the beauty of family life in the Middle East into something that Westerners will appreciate and love? Both Mortenson and Roth demonstrate courage and respect, both to the kids of Korphe and to their readers, as they use just the right words and the thoroughly engaging artwork to enable American kids to "befriend" through literatuare kids who happen to live in a war-torn region.This book is a gift; it will do for American minds what Pennies for Peace does for the Central Asia Institute's schools: Creat a better world through education! Teachers, librarians, parents - you might be grownups, but you will cherish this story too. I wish I could give this book 100 stars!

The subhead is "The story of Dr. Greg and Three Cups of Tea," and so it is. This is a child's picture book that tells the inspirational true story of Greg Mortenson and his tireless efforts to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mortenson's book about the experience, Three Cups of Tea, is a worldwide bestseller. Since the topic is about kids, this picture book and the newly published Three Cups of Tea: The Young Reader's Edition, should resonate with children. In 1993, Mortenson got lost in the mountains of Pakistan after turning back from a failed attempt at climbing K2. He stumbled into Korphe, a poor village, where the townspeople nursed him back to health. As he was recuperating, Mortenson was shocked to learn the village's children had no school, with lessons taught outside just three days a week. Kids learned to write using sticks in the dirt. To repay the village's kindness, the Montana native promised to return, and help build a school. Mortenson did come back to Korphe, and has indeed helped build not just one but fifty-five schools -- many for girls -- in the impoverished region. The idea of "three cups of tea" comes from the village chief, Haji Ali. "With the first cup of tea you are a stranger, with the second you become a friend, and with the third, you join our family." Even if I wasn't drawn in by the story, I'd be tempted to buy Listen to the Wind just for the artwork. Artist Susan L. Roth used a variety of materials to create the colorful collages on each page. An artist's note in the back explains that Roth was inspired by actual artifacts from the region, in which nothing ever goes to waste. A woman's hat was "like a sculpture of cloth fragments, bright colored yarn and metal accents," including an actual computer chip. Also in the back are photo-filled scrapbook pages, showing the completed school and Korphe villagers. A story like this should help kids feel closer to children in other parts of the world, as if they had actually shared that third cup of tea.