The Boy Who Changed the World

I was not prepared for the beautiful art work in this book. I am a huge fan of water color and the pages are filled with bright, colorful, and detailed work. the pictures themselves would enthrall a child. But the story......How many times have we labored to water the idea that what you do makes a difference? It can make a difference for good or for bad. This story concentrates on the good of a man, Norman Borlaug, who accomplishes his dream of feeding many hungry people in the world by growing "special" seeds that will have a greater harvest. But Norman was mentored and helped by someone, who was helped and mentored by someone...and on and on.
Mentoring is not a new idea, but it is certainly not a purposeful goal for many adults. It takes time, resources, patience, and a burden to help. the story will speak to adults as well as children.
When reading this book to younger children, it make take a few times of hearing the story for them to make the connection. This story goes backwards in time and that might be confusing to them. I would suggest drawing a stick figure timeline to make that visual and backwards connection.
The "butterfly effect" is explained on the last page ( with beautiful butterflies all over the page!). It is a Scriptural principle and you can use verses to support this idea to give this effect a more Biblical foundation rather a philosophical one. Imagine being able to talk about this every time you and your child see a butterfly!
In bright red letters is the sentence: That means every little thing YOU do matters. And how true. What a difference this could make in your child's life if they really grasped this concept.
Kudos to Andy Andrews for giving us a beautiful book that covers art, history, science, and Bible in a wonderful story!
~ Shannon
FFYB