The Boy Who Changed the World

The Boy Who Changed the World by Andy Andrews is The Butterfly Effect for children. I love reading childrens books, especially if there are real-life people woven into the story. I was not disappointed--this little book is packed with inspiration!

The main theme of the book is that actions matter. From big things to little things--what we do can make a big difference and effect others. The story shows how the lives of four people are woven together: Norman Borlaug, Henry Wallace, George Washington Carver, and Moses Carver. Each one's actions effect the other which led to effecting the world!

The story is wonderfully written by Andy Andrews and beautifully illustrated by Philip Hurst. I love how each person in the book has a different butterfly fluttering by them. I think the message of the book is one kids and adults need to hear---that God made them for a purpose and

"That means YOU can
be the kid who
changes the world!"

As a home educator, my mind was reeling with all the possibilities I could go with this book. You could easily use this book as the basis for a whole unit study:

- Study the life of Norman Borlaug
- Study the life of Mr. Henry Wallace
- Study the life of George Washington Carver
- Study the life of Moses Carver
- plants and seeds
- crops (rice, corn, wheat)
- peanuts
- sweet potato
- Iowa
- butterflies
- being created for a purpose

So to start off, I created a couple  The Boy Who Changed the World mini-books for my kids to use. These can be used in a lapbook or lap-n-note (which is what we do).  If you would like to share this file with others, please link directly to this post, not the file. Thanks! :)

Tommy Nelson has some free coloring pages to go along with the book, and the author of the book offers a free curriculum guide aimed at K-2nd along with a reader's guide.

I can't wait to get the hard-back edition added into my personal library. This book would be best for kids 5 and up. Even though it is a picture book, the combination of the historical references and the idea of the butterfly effect makes it perfect for older kids too.



Related Posts:
Butterfly Unit for Young Children
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Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.