It’s monsoon season in Bangladesh, which means Iqbal’s mother must cook the family’s meals indoors, over an open fire. The smoke from the fire makes breathing difficult for his mother and baby sister, and it’s even making them sick. Hearing them coughing at night worries Iqbal. So when he learns that his school’s upcoming science fair has the theme of sustainability, Iqbal comes up with the perfect idea for his entry: he’ll design a stove that doesn’t produce smoke! With help from his teacher, Iqbal learns all about solar energy cooking, which uses heat from the sun to cook — ingenious! Has Iqbal found a way to win first prize in the science fair while providing cleaner air and better health for his family at the same time? Award-winning author Elizabeth Suneby’s thoroughly researched and inspiring story introduces young children to the problems associated with open-flame cooking in the developing world, as well as background information on sustainable technology. Part of the CitizenKid collection, this book uses the common experience of a science fair project to help children recognize that they, too, can help make the world a better place through innovative thinking and creative problem solving. The artwork by Rebecca Green, filled with details of everyday life in a Bangladesh village, beautifully evokes a sense of place and culture. Iqbal offers a perfect example for the character education subject of initiative. End matter includes information about clean cookstoves, a DIY solar cooker activity and a glossary (Source).

Author(s): Elizabeth Suneby & Rebecca Green

Elizabeth spent more than 20 years in marketing. She was the VP of Marketing at two mid-size service businesses and the Director of Advertising and Direct Marketing at Lotus before starting a consulting business. She has worked with a range of clients—from major corporations such as Microsoft and D&B to start-ups in tech, bio-tech, and consumer services, to non-profit organizations. She has won many awards for her writing. Her interest in writing about our modern culture started when she was an American Studies major at Brown University (Source).

Rebecca has been working as a commercial artist for over a decade but has been drawing her whole life. Her first published illustration appeared in the Bryant School newspaper in kindergarten and while she didn’t know what an ‘illustrator’ was, it felt like something she wanted to have happen again. Since then, she has had the pleasure of illustrating everything from magazines to newspapers, picture books to murals – and even once, designing a giant ice sculpture. Her debut book How To Make Friends With A Ghost (2017) has been translated into a host of languages and was recently acquired for a Stop Motion TV series with The Jim Henson Company. She’s illustrated many titles including Madame Saqui, Kafka and the Doll, How To Be A Good Creature, and Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers (Source).