NEVILLE OTUKI

The other day, a Kenyan parent poured out her frustration on social media after her eight-year-old daughter, ever so curious, put her on the spot. Turns out the girl, presumably like many others, has lately been hearing a lot about climate change stories in which wind power was a recurring motif. Glancing up at her mother, bright-eyed, the girl expectantly waited for a response to her question: "What’s up with wind power?" She frantically searched her mind. Nothing! After a minute or so, the young girl gave up and might have blown a raspberry, disappointed. Perhaps embarrassed on her mother’s behalf. The Windmill Dance, penned through the eyes of a high school student Paul and his friends Manu and Pele, creatively brings to light the topic of energy, particularly offering readers a front-row seat to wind and solar power. It also reveals the links between energy generation and the environment, and the negative impacts of climate change. The world is currently staring down the barrel of a climate crisis with cases of floods and drought on the rise, explaining why climate change news is all the rage lately. All is not lost, though. Wind and solar power, considered to be green energy sources, are part of the solution, promising mankind a way out of the looming danger. This is a book for the young and old alike because one way or another, the climate reality will catch up with us all. Oh, for the mother above, and other parents like her, the story would be different had she had this book in her hands and those of her young ones. The book also celebrates innovation among the young, demonstrated through a National Junior Innovation Contest in which Paul and his friends participate. They build a windmill prototype which makes them shine at the contest, earning them a tour of a mega windmill farm and an audience with the President!