Reviews

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

haruko's review

3.0

I didn't realize this book was based off a true story and I have yet to verify the authenticity of that claim.

I enjoyed the art style of this picture book but the presentation was wanting. Some images were quite beautifully done while others were confusing in comparison to the story that was being told. At the end of the book, photographs of the real events were shown, along with additional facts.

I can't say I'd necessarily recommend this book but I don't think it was a bad book overall.

lady_epoh's review

2.0

Greg Mortenson the white savior 🙄

thukpa's review

5.0

Very gentle and friendly telling of Greg Mortensen's Three Cups of Tea, which leaves out the political strife in Pakistan while telling how Mortensen stumbled upon Korphe when he became lost while mountain climbing, and how he returned to not only build a school there, but over 50 more in the mountains of Pakistan. The illustrations are beautiful, and the sentiments at the end made me cry.

crystal_reading's review

3.0

This is a synopsis of Three Cups of Tea written as a nice picture book. I am happy to see one more book that shows another culture and speaks to peaceful solutions to problems.

bonniekitts's review

4.0

Love that this book teaches the story to young children.

val_halla's review

2.0

I enjoyed the original Three Cups of Tea, though I was distressed to discover later that Greg Mortenson may have been using his funds unethically. This children's version of the story is clearly intended to deify Mortenson, which is just shameful considering the hardships that the people of the village endured in order to build the school he helped fund.

beththebookdragon's review

4.0

A wonderful story, well told, but what really makes this book stand out are the beautifully layered multicolored paper and fabric "illustrations."

A great way for children to learn the story about Greg Mortenson and other starting schools (always co-ed) in Pakistan and elsewhere in the region.

engpunk77's review

2.0

Not great. I did enjoy the appendix, however, as it included some info about the resourceful fashion of the Korphe people that wasn't in the other two versions of the story.

nancyotoole's review

3.0

Listen to the Wind retells the story of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time for younger readers in the form of a picture book. In this story, an American nurse becomes lost on a mountain and wanders into a village in Pakistan. The villagers find him and nurse him back to health. In return, he helps out at the people with his skills, and helps to make a school for the children. The story translates surprisingly well to a picture book format. Making the decision to tell the story from the perspective of the children, and not Greg Mortenson, makes it easy for children to relate to the story, as they can point on ways in which their lives and similar and different than the school children in the story. The art is really unique as they are actually collages made from found materials. This decision was inspired by the traditional hats of the area. Occasionally, the illustrations can be difficult to interpret as a result of this art choice, but for the most part, this decision is quite successful. After the story is a brief scrapbook about the story behind Listen to the Wind, which presents pictures of maps of the people and country of Pakistan, giving the reader a better look at the real people presented in the stories, as well as what happened after the story in Listen to the Wind closes. There is also a brief note from the artists which tells of her process in making the collages.

NOTE- This review was written for a class

k8brarian's review

4.0

Beautiful illustrations!