Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth
Collages by Susan L. Roth
This the story of an American man lost in the mountains of Pakistan. He was rescued and cared for by the people of the village of Korphe. They dubbed him Dr. Greg because he cared for the sick and was a nurse in the United States. He fell in love with the villagers, especially the children, and wanted to pay them back for their help.
He asked Haji Ali, their wise man, how to help.
Haji Ali told him to “Listen to the wind.”
The wind told him to build a school. Dr. Greg returned a year later to build the school. First, he and the other men had to build a bridge to bring in the materials.
Most of this book is probably best as a read aloud. It lends itself well to reading activities but needs discussion with and direction from an adult. Readers will want to know how to help with the school or with similar projects. They will be curious about learning by writing in the dirt with a stick and about living cut off from the outside world. Also, several words and ideas need discussion beyond a glossary: imam, yaks, dzos, and the locations discussed.
Recommended by the New York Times, the book provides the reader with a lot of information about the Pakistani way of life. This is similar to other books but is very timely with the war in Afghanistan and the accompanying news of Pakistan.
The illustrations are done by collage. The illustrator provides an explanation of the method she used, based on the villagers’ predisposition to use found articles and never waste anything. This provides another good jumping off point for activity with second graders.
If you can’t see this video, click here.
Title: Listen to the Wind- Author: Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth
- Illustrator: Susan L. Roth
- Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
- Hardback: 32 pages
- Genre: Social Studies, Cultural relations.
- REVIEWER: Sue Poduska
- ISBN: 978-0-8037-3058-8