Slow read til end. Too detailed, but amazing achievement. KIRKUS REVIEWThe author and his collaborator have condensed the original memoir of the same name, a story of an innovative and compassionate boy coming of age during an era of extreme hardship in Malawi.This newest incarnation of Kamkwamba?s tale is as absorbing as its predecessor and still delivers with equanimity facts both disturbing and inspiring. Kamkwamba describes his early life in Masitala, a tiny rural village where, typically, large families of subsistence farmers lived in huts without electricity or running water. Until December 2000, Kamkwamba?s life reads like an African parallel to the idyllic, early-20th-century scenes in Sterling North?s Rascal: soccer with balls made from plastic bags; juicy mangoes and crunchy grasshoppers; storytelling by the light of a kerosene lamp; experiments with old radio parts; loyal friends and faithful pet. A perfect storm of deforestation, governmental changes, flooding and drought creates a sudden famine. The text does not spare readers the effects of starvation and grinding poverty on humans and animals. However, there are also many descriptions of how and why power-generating inventions work, and the passages about creating tools from almost nothing are reminiscent of Laura Ingalls Wilder?s Little House series. Against astounding odds, Kamkwamba?s eventual creation of a windmill to bring lighting to his family?s home is nothing short of amazing. Compelling and informative for a broad readership and a good addition to STEM collections. (map, prologue, photographs, epilogue, acknowledgments) (Memoir. 11-16)

Independent Reading Level: 1st to 3rd.

Awards: Children's Africana Book Awards, 1992-2023. Outstanding Science Trade Books, 2005-2024. Junior Library Guild Selections, 2012-2023

A new edition brings this true story of perseverance to younger readers. William’s experiences of drought and famine in Malawi spark his scientific and technological inquiries that are then fueled by determination and love of community. Epilogue.

In this picture book adaptation of the adult autobiography, inventor and entrepreneur Kamkwamba gives us a glimpse into his life as a 14-year-old in drought-ridden Malawi and how he came to help his family, community, and nation. Author’s Note.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and nowhere is that old adage more evident than in the true story of William Kamkwamba, a young Malawian boy who built a windmill on his father's land, in order to bring electricity to his family home for the first time. Facing possible starvation due to a drought-related famine, and unable to attend school, William began to investigate the machinery he found so fascinating at a nearby library set up by Americans. Here he discovered the idea of the windmill, and set out to build one of his own. Although some in his village laughed at him, he persisted, and soon achieved what had hitherto been only a dream: electric power...

Although I have been familiar with the story of William Kamkwamba for a number of years, since the publication of his memoir in 2009, I have never happened to pick up any of the versions of his story, be it the original edition intended for adult readers, the young reader's adaptation done in 2015, or this picture-book retelling created for younger children in 2012. I'm glad that I have finally rectified that oversight, as Kamkwamba's story is certainly inspirational. This picture-book telling is engaging, and is paired with the vibrantly colorful oil paint and cut paper illustrations of Elizabeth Zunon, whose work I know from such titles as One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia, as well as her own Grandpa Cacao: A Tale of Chocolate, from Farm to Family. Recommended to young dreamers and inventors, and to picture-book readers looking for stories about overcoming great challenges with creativity and perseverance. ( )