and wires all over, sending
electricity far away to where
it's needed. Around the plant,
there are miles of high safety
fences.
On the long, hot, dusty walk
back from school we can just
see, far away, men and cranes working on top of what will soon be the world's tallest solar tower."
In previous books concerning sustainable living, Allan Drummond has provided excellent information for young readers. In this one, he turns his attention to the largest solar power plant in the world. The children - Nadia and Jasmine, and their classmates - pass it by as they walk to school each day. The author describes their classroom in Morocco and how they learned about solar power and sustainability from their teacher's big questions.
They have been watching the construction of the world's biggest solar power plant, and now they are taking a field trip to see it. Amazed at what they see, they discover the facts about its real size.
"It's the size of 500 soccer fields, and
contains 660,000 mirrors.
And nearly complete is the
800-foot-tall solar tower ...
It is surrounded by thousands of mirrors, each the size of
a tennis court. They bounce the sun's rays onto the tower.
"Very hot," says Miss Abdellam. "It will be
one thousand degrees on top, in fact."
Their visit offers a chance to really consider sustainability and how the plant will help and affect their own village. There are many happy results of the plant's close proximity for those who live there. It will take time for all to feel the further results as the work is not complete. The children are hoping they will soon have access to the Internet.
"Morocco is growing in population and
developing fast. Although the communities
near the solar plant are remote, it is expected
that with better roads, better water management,
better farms, and more people with new skills,
the area around the solar plant will thrive."
Mr. Drummond's artwork takes readers right to the heart of Jasmine's classroom and community. It also gives a perspective on the size of the plant. An author's explanatory note, photos and a bibliography add context.
Very informative and useful for classrooms and middle grade readers wanting to know more about the subject. If you haven't seen other books by this author concerning sustainability, look for energy island (2015), green city (2016) and pedal power (2018). They are equally excellent.
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