William Kamkwamba
Recognized in the Creative Minds Montessori 2026 Teacher’s Choice list.
William Kamkwamba is one of roughly one hundred authors whose work was selected by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list — 120 books chosen across four reading stages, from first lap-reads to first chapter books. The selected book was chosen for how precisely it meets children at a real developmental moment. This recognition cannot be bought: no author or publisher paid to appear on our lists, and we take no commission on any book sale.
About William Kamkwamba
William Kamkwamba built a windmill from scrap metal and library diagrams at fourteen to power his family's home in drought-stricken Malawi; he went on to Dartmouth, TED talks, and a Netflix film — and his memoir became this picture book.
Kicked out of school because his family couldn't pay fees, he kept studying in the village library, where a physics book with windmill diagrams — in a language he could barely read — changed everything. The book is his own story, co-told for the children he once was.
Also by this author: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition)
Official website: www.williamkamkwamba.org
Selected for the 2026 Teacher’s Choice list
Part of The Best Children’s Books by Age, chosen by the teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX.