Tampa Examiner
January 27, 2009
by Karen Deerwester,
Three Cups of Tea for children: Greg Mortenson writes new books for kids by Karen Deerwester
Greg Mortenson's new books for young readers debuted last week. Listen to the Wind is written for the 5 to 8 year olds and Three Cups of Tea, the Young Reader's Edition is for 8 years and up. When I recommended these last week, one reader asked for more information on the books and their amazing author, Greg Mortenson. The original Three Cups of Tea has been on the New York Times Best Sellers list for 102 weeks and counting. These new books for children are sure to follow. Both books introduce children to a larger world - to other cultures, to compassion and appreciation of other people, and to the dynamic power of education and peace. Mortenson's first book told us of his journey that begun as a young mountain climber and ended as a humanitarian building schools in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg Mortenson tells a hero's story - one of truth and honor. He taught me that "peace education" is the daily practice of seeing other people's points of view, respecting differences, generously extending the benefit of the doubt to sometimes hurtful situations, and searching for peaceful solutions instead of impulsive defensiveness. Mortenson teaches all of us how to effect positive change through relationship-building - taking the time to share "three cups of tea". Young children will enjoy hearing the story of Listen to the Wind, as told by the children of Korphe. They will recognize the lives they share and imagine living with yaks and goats. American children will be intrigued when they read:
With our small fingers we wedged tiny slivers of stones into the cement to make our walls stronger. Our school grew each day, up from the high, flat ground where we used to write with our sticks. Mortenson's books give parents and teachers a wealth of ideas and activities to construct lifelong meaning from the words and images on these pages: children can reenact the building process from carrying supplies across treacherous landscape to erecting walls; they can compare how people in far away places dress, what they eat or recreate the style of home; children can take up the cause of helping Dr. Greg by getting involved with Pennies for Peace. The Young Reader's Edition retells Dr. Greg's original story with breathtaking clarity for his new audience. The foreward by Jane Goodall connects Dr. Greg's work to another extraordinary role model for young children. The lessons of this book are personal and inspiring. Children, like Dr. Greg's many adult readers, will be forever changed by meeting a real-life, get-dirty, break-few-rules adventurer like Dr. Greg. And meeting the children whose lives he touches. These are must-have books for your at-home or school library.
With our small fingers we wedged tiny slivers of stones into the cement to make our walls stronger. Our school grew each day, up from the high, flat ground where we used to write with our sticks. Mortenson's books give parents and teachers a wealth of ideas and activities to construct lifelong meaning from the words and images on these pages: children can reenact the building process from carrying supplies across treacherous landscape to erecting walls; they can compare how people in far away places dress, what they eat or recreate the style of home; children can take up the cause of helping Dr. Greg by getting involved with Pennies for Peace. The Young Reader's Edition retells Dr. Greg's original story with breathtaking clarity for his new audience. The foreward by Jane Goodall connects Dr. Greg's work to another extraordinary role model for young children. The lessons of this book are personal and inspiring. Children, like Dr. Greg's many adult readers, will be forever changed by meeting a real-life, get-dirty, break-few-rules adventurer like Dr. Greg. And meeting the children whose lives he touches. These are must-have books for your at-home or school library.
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