The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer is the touching, inspirational story of a drought-ridden land and a fourteen-year-old boy who worked to change things in his poverty-stricken village.
The book is beautifully illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon, and in many illustrations she seems to use cutouts to create strikingly unusual images. Her drawings remind the reader of primitive paintings.
William lived in Malawi, and when a drought resulted in famine, his village was severely affected. Food was scarce and his parents couldn't afford the tuition to send him to school, so at fourteen, William had to drop out.
Instead of moping, he spent his time in the library (which was a gift from the U.S. government) and studied the books there. He saw a plan for building a windmill, which he realized would be of great help to his village. He translated the books to learn how to build a windmill.
Even though the villagers thought William was crazy, he collected scraps of trash and was determined to complete the windmill.
The story is told in simple prose which even young children will understand. At the end of the book is a two page explanation of the events including the details missing from the story.
This non-fiction picture book has a happy ending. William built another windmill a few years later that pumped water from a small well near his home to his mother's garden so she could grow vegetables to feed his family.
Journalists discovered the story, and people learned about his accomplishments. They donated money to send him to school.
William is currently studying to be an engineer at Dartmouth College. He plans to return to Malawi and work on renewable energy for pumping water and creating electricity in poor villages.
This book is being promoted through Pearson's charitable organization, We Give Books. On the website, it says, "We Give Books is a free website that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online.
Simply choose the charity you want to read for and then select the books you want to read. For each book you read online, we donate a book to a leading literacy group on your behalf."
However, most who read the book on the website will fall in love with the story and decide to purchase the book to share with others. It's truly inspirational.
This review is based on the final hardcover book provided by the publisher, Penguin Young Readers Group, for review purposes.
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