The Boy Who Changed The World

First things first, you must visit my friend Tammy over at Forever in First to see how she and her class put their own special spin on a
respectacles lesson I shared and ended up with a class book!

Speaking of books, it's Friday and you know what that means ... it's PPBF at Susanna Leonard Hill's blog; click {here} to link up.

Title: The Boy Who Changed The World
Author:  Andy Andrews
Illustrator:  Philip Hurst
Publisher:  Tommy Nelson
Date: August 31, 2010
Suitable for ages: 4 and up (and up!)
Brief synopsis: Norman wanted to do something to help feed the hungry, and along the way he realizes that nothing happens in isolation.
Opening Page: I want to tell you a story about the boy who changed the world. His name was Norman Borlaug. Norman lived on a farm in Iowa. He loved to play hide-and-seek with his little sisters in their father's cornfields.  
Norman was tall and skinny with hair so light it looked like the silk that sprouted form the ears of corn. Norman was very good at hiding in the cornfields.
Themes: Butterfly Effect, good deeds, stakeholders
Resources:  The Book Trailer from You Tube

For list of all of the historical figures in the book from The Examiner, click {here}.
For the author's website, an activity guide and more, click {here}.
For a book review of One Smile by Cindy McKinley that you can use to compare and contrast, click {here} and scroll down to the bottom right.

Why I like this book: This is a classic Pay-It-Forward book about the power of our actions. Everything we do matters. Every choice makes a difference. Every day. This message empowers children to choose carefully by showing them how one little act can make a huge difference. It'll be a great lesson about stakeholders, the people who care about and are affected by our decisions. It adds authenticity for kids because each of the book's historical men is portrayed first as a child. This game-changer has got a service-learning project written all over it; use it as a springboard for students to pick a cause, do some research, and take action to make their world better.

*Note: Although this is not a book geared toward any particular religion or culture, the word God is used in the text three times.

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Bridget over at Little Lovely Leaders is having a huge giveaway and I've joined like 36 other bloggers in helping her celebrate by donating a copy of Have You Filled A Bucket Today? signed by my friend Carol McCloud, so go there now to enter!