Do we all not secretly long for more love than reason, more pardon than justice, more impulse than calculation, more heart than head and altogether for an asymmetrical slant in our favour in our lives?" A beautifully illustrated story of freedom, music, and seeking refuge. A small group of refugees is crowded on to a boat on the sea. They share their stories as the boat travels towards the dream of safety and freedom. One boy, Rami, has brought his violin, and his story of how the violin was invented, and of a stallion that could run like the wind, weaves through the other stories, bringing them all together into a celebration of hope and of the power of music and story. World without and world within, after all, whether one knows it or not, are expressions of one another; interdependent and ceaselessly in communication, serving something greater than the sum of themselves."

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This tale can, and should, be consumed in one sitting, even for the busiest of children or young teens. A Story Like The Wind features 14 year old Rami who is escaping his war torn homeland with a handful of strangers in a tiny boat on a vicious sea. Rami carries nothing but his violin. To give everyone hope through the long, turbulent night when their outboard engine has died, he plays and his music tells a story. The story is of a Mongolian boy and his untameable white stallion; a metaphor for a violence riddled country and the unbreakable spirit of its people despite all odds. This tale within a tale is truly heartwarming and heartwrenching at the same time. Katie: This book caught my attention from the very beginning. It could easily be the real story of immigrants fleeing a war-torn country. The way the story moved from past to present allowing everyone to hear the story in combination with the music was very moving. Music can change people’s lives. Rami gave this group the opportunity to look at their own stories. I agree that everyone needs the opportunity to share their stories. These people may not see each other again, but Rami and his violin influenced their lives in a positive way. Finally, the man-child had to become a man who, though he should never weep for himself, could weep easily for others. Not since reading A Monster Calls has a book moved me like A Story Like The Wind by Gill Lewis, illustrated by Jo Weaver.The courage and fortitude shown in dealing with life in a strange country and culture that seems alien. A Story Like the Wind is utterly beautiful; the words and illustrations perfectly intertwining to create a celebration of love, life and hope" ( The Book Activist) The words tumble from the passengers’ lips, keen to etch names and places into each other’s minds. Remember me. Remember my name. perhaps the one unpardonable error of men is to withdraw from communion with one another, no matter how good the reason for withdrawal."

A Story Like the Wind - AbeBooks 9780140038316: A Story Like the Wind - AbeBooks

On the surface, the story within the story is about the origin of Rami’s violin but it’s also an allegory about obtaining freedom from an oppressive government. We don’t quite know the significance of this story within the story until the end, where it ties both narratives together beautifully. I was firstly introduced to the incredible writings of Van Der Post through the work of biologist Jeremy Griffith who uses the incredible honesty and denial free thinking of Van Der Post to explain the Human Condition and the mysteries behind human behaviour. both animal and man were charged by life to do everything in their power to defeat death, if only to make certain that when it ultimately came it was the right kind of death."

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It really helps show readers that people forced from their homes are not just refugees but children just like them.

A story like the wind : Van der Post, Laurens : Free Download A story like the wind : Van der Post, Laurens : Free Download

Gill Lewis weaves an unforgettable tale of displacement, hope, and the search for freedom" ( The Guardian) But it is Gill Lewis and her stunning prose that steals the show, its rhythmical feel makes the whole narrative like its own Strauss concerto. On a boat drifting in the cold waters of the Mediterranean, dozens of Middle-Eastern refugees, young and old, cling to one another, waiting for the uncertainty that haunts their future to be put to rest.

He believed that when a person could form a question, it was a sign from life that the person was ready for a truthful answer." A Story Like The Wind" should only take a half-hour to read, it took me two weeks because i kept putting it down and thinking of what the boy sang to the others to give them the promise of living further and longer. The song is about a horse, its companions, the wind and the and an evil conqueror and Weaver's art is shades of blue and white pencil against a dark blue starless sky. This is a book to read and re-read, and each time you read it, you will enjoy it even more. I read it first some thirty years ago and fell in love with it; now I've read it again, this time more slowly, savouring every word, and I believe I know now why I cherish this book.

A Story Like the Wind TeachingBooks | A Story Like the Wind

This account of a Syrian family trying to survive civil war is powerful and moving. The complications of who is fighting and why are dealt with in the context of a young teenage boy’s experience and the impact on his family’s life. Van Der Post so compassionately and empathetically connects the readers to the heart and soul of Francois, the main character who is an adventurous young child trying to understand the world, the people around him and their behaviours and himself - the way he should behave and adapt to the world.

Azzi is in a school where there are sympathetic adults who help her learn the new language. She becomes part of the class when she can contribute beans to grow in the school garden. These beans have travelled with the family and link the past with the present. There is a happy ending for this family when Azzi’s grandmother arrives safely to join them, and the beans symbolise a hopeful future. It could be an opportunity to consider what you would miss most if you had to leave everything behind? And importantly, how could you help someone like Azzi cope if they arrived in your class? When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.