Title:  Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea
Author: Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth
Illustrator: Susan L. Roth
Publisher:  Dial Books for Young Readers
ISBN:  978-0-8037-3058-8
Year:  2009

Concepts:  poverty, scarcity, economic development, child schooling

Review: After failing to reach the summit of Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, Greg Mortensen stumbled into the remote village of Korphe.  Mortensen, a nurse by training, badly needed nursing himself, and the villagers obliged with kindness and grace. What started as a desire to reciprocate with an act of generosity has led, over time, to Mortensen raising money and building close to eighty schools in remote parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The first school was in Korphe, a village so poor that children hitherto had no full-time teacher and had to scratch their lessons outside on the ground with sticks.

Greg Mortenson’s story of despair turned into altruism is well known to adults through his bestseller Three Cups of Tea, and now Listen to the Wind brings this remarkable tale to the eyes and ears of younger children.  Susan L. Roth’s compelling and bold collages, constructed with recycled materials from Pakistani artifacts, add to the uniqueness of the book and the message it sends.

Review by:  Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children