This is exactly the kind of book we love in our homeschool, and it was a perfect fit for our week learning about Bangladesh in our Children Around the World year of study. It is a beautifully-illustrated picture book with just the right amount of words to hold the interest of my younger ones and to engage the imaginations of my older ones. Even my junior higher and high schooler enjoy stories like this one! Aside from having great cultural content, I also like that this book includes scientific thinking and problem solving, and most of all, I love that the problem solving is for the sake of others which helps to build empathy in my children. This book is a winner in every way, and we highly recommend it!

We received a complimentary electronic copy of this book from NetGalley and plan to purchase our own physical copy soon.

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea by Elizabeth Suneby was a great read aloud in my STEM classroom. Suneby did a fantastic job of including the back matter to support Iqbal and her storytelling of his journey into developing a stove that doesn't smoke was well done. We use Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea as a way to peak interest in developing solar ovens (NGSS standards), as a mentor text as a way to write informational text, and as a community building activity to discuss perseverance and growth mind-set.

I have mixed feelings about books like this one. On the one hand, its nice to turn a spotlight on regular people who are making a difference in the world, kids who see a problem and set out to fix it. What better way to inspire young readers? YOu can tell them about the young life of a famous person but it's more powerful to show them change affected by a regular kid.

My creative boys enjoyed hearing the story of how Iqbal developed a way to cook with solar power in his home in Pakistan. They enjoyed his creativity, and his concern for his mother and baby sister was lovely. One of my children did raise the question, though, how a gas cooker would be more sustainable than cooking with wood; this book makes you think that gas is the ultimate fuel.
I received an ecopy of this book from NetGalley and chose to write a review.

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea offers many opportunities for discussion. The story lends itself to discuss topics, like health concerns, sustainability, recycling, cultural aspects of life in Bangladesh and topics such as concern for others and the environment, problem-solving, and cooperation. This book is a great read aloud that can be a stepping stone for many of the above mentioned topics or to start off a unit about inventions.

This is a wonderful book because it encourages kids to think outside of the box and find ways to help at the individual level as well as the global level. I also like the fact it introduces children to another culture and to the developing world. It can be hard to see how vast our world is without being open to books that show a wide array. Suneby also encourages kids to try something themselves by having a project to build a solar powered pizza oven in the back of the book. A great teaching tool!

'Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea: How a Science Project Helps One Family and the Planet' by Elizabeth Suneby with illustrations by Rebecca Green is a fictional story about a young boy who wants to help his family.

Where Iqbal lives, it's the monsoon season. That means his mother has to cook indoors, and all the smoke makes her ill. He wants to buy his mother a propane stove to use during the rainy season, and the science project at school may be the answer. With the help of his little sister and an old umbrella, he builds a sustainable invention that could help other families. The book concludes with a chance to perform a similar experiment of your own.

I liked this story of a young boy who wants to help his family. The illustrations are good, and the story encourages innovation and creativity.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Kids Can Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Iqbal lives in Bangladesh and is faced with coming up with a science project for school. He wants to create something that impacts his family and the wider community. With the help of his teacher and sister, Iqbal creates a smokeless solar oven so cooking is healthier for his family and there is less pollution in the city.

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and there are lots of different themes to address in this book (poverty, pollution, sustainability, Ramadan). I really like the inclusion of more information about smokeless cooking, a DIY clean stove project and glossary at the back of the book. This book is part of the Citizen Kid series and I look forward to checking our more in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and Kids Can Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Iqbal must come up with a science fair project that has to do with sustainability. Hearing his mother and baby sister’s cough from smoke produced when cooking indoors during rainy season prompts him to find a better stove. With his sister Saida as his assistant, he makes a solar powered stove following instructions he found online. Is it enough to win the fair?

I like that this is set in Bangladesh, a country that gets very little picture book exposure. I also like that it shows ways you can cook without a fire. I think that the title of the book is a little misleading though. I thought at first that this would be a nonfiction title. But it is entirely fictional. Also Iqbal just borrowed the idea, he did not come up with anything new. And beyond that, his family can’t really use the solar cooker during rainy season because the sun is covered by clouds. So their long term solution is to buy a propane stove with the money from his science fair winnings. That does solve the health problems of his family, but propane isn’t exactly a renewable energy source. So in the long run, the book makes it look like solar energy power is just a toy or something to help you get by between using nonrenewable sources. I think the book could’ve been done better to fit its intended message. Is it realistic? Oh, definitely. We're more likely to do what is easy than what is necessarily best for the planet. Does it provide a vision of sustainable energy and feature a kid coming up with a unique idea? Not really. But you could definitely use this if you’re doing a unit on Bangladesh or looking for a multicultural read featuring science. It does a great job of painting Bangladesh in a way that will make it come to life for kids.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great book for Maker Ed and Project Based Learning. I’ll use this to introduce invention challenges with students. Love the illustrations! The writing and story is not as engaging or creative as Andrea Beatty’s or The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, but Iqbal’s invention is easy for students to understand and the backmatter includes instructions on how to make their own solar-powered stove for s’mores. I do wish the story focused a bit more on the design process, though.

The latest from Kids Can Press' Citizen Kid imprint, Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea is a fictional story about a Bangladeshi boy named Iqbal, who comes with a clean, solar-powered cookstove for his science fair project. He sees his mother force to cook the family's meals indoors during monsoon season, but the family has no stove: she cooks over an open fire, which produces smoke that makes breathing difficult, especially for his mother and baby sister. He learns about solar energy cooking, wins first place in the science fair, and introduces a sustainable and healthier way for families to prepare meals. The artwork illustrates everyday life in Bangladesh and communicates the closeness Iqbal shares with his family and his hard work to create a science fair project that accomplishes the dual purpose of getting him a good grade and helping his family. The story shows readers that kids can make a difference, and that healthier living doesn't depend on expensive gadgets - a little research, and you can make the world a better place with tools right in front of you. The book includes more information on cookstoves, a glossary, and instructions for making a DIY solar cooker. Great for class projects and science fair ideas!

This beautiful picture book tells the tell of Iqbal, an inventive Bangladeshi boy would like to find a way to buy a propane stove for his family. Sometimes it is necessary to cook indoors due to the weather, and the smoke from the fire makes family members sick. Iqbal finds a way to both create an inventive solution to the problem, and also to enter the science fair to receive prize money to provide for his family. The reader is rooting for Iqbal the whole way, and the illustrations are beautiful.. This may inspire children and others to think creatively about problems that need solutions.

Many students in the United States have participated in a science fair, but how many of them choose a project that will actually impact their own lives? In this story set in Bangladesh, Iqbal decides to create a smokeless stove so that his mother and younger sibling will not have to breathe in smoke from the cook fire all day during the monsoon season. With the help of his teacher, he finds some article online about various options for his stove, then takes them home and builds a solar cooker with his sister's assistance.

The story offers many options for discussion. There are science topics like health concerns, sustainability, and recycling. The story also mentions cultural aspects of life in Bangladesh such as Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and foods like semai, as well as the customs of women doing the cooking and gathering the firewood. And there are guidance topics such as concern for others and the environment, problem-solving, and cooperation. Whether a class was studying green energy sources, other cultures, or character education, this book could be used as a great read-aloud.

An excellent addition to any library where picture book biographies circulate well. This story will inspire children by showing them that age does not need to prevent them from helping the world.

Iqbal’s school was having a science fair and the theme was sustainability. The winner would win a cash prize. He was excited to share the news with his family. At dinner his mother and baby sister coughed because of the cooking smoke. It was trapped in their home because of the rainy conditions outside. His mother and sister’s wracking cough worried him as he tried to rest, and then the idea came to him! He would try to create a way to cook without producing smoke.

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea is an inspiring story about a young boy and his sister’s efforts to create a product that would alleviate his family’s suffering. The author provides notes on the benefits of clean cookstoves and instructions on how to create one. There is also a helpful glossary that explains different cultural words as well as vocabulary related to Iqbal’s project. Highly recommended.

Really interesting book! Iqbal decided to enter the science fair, and creates a solar cook stove for his family so that his mother no longer has to cook inside over a fire during monsoon season, which is dangerous and not good for the family's health. With the prize money, he's able to buy a gas stove for cooking inside during the rainy days, and they use his solar invention outside on better weather days. There was a lot of information about why this type of invention is important for women in Bangladesh, as well as instructions for students to create their own solar stove! I appreciated that the family was Muslim, and that the story shared a little bit about Eid, as well as included a few words in Arabic with the definitions at the back of the book. It makes a great introduction to other cultures for young kids.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Iqbal and his family live in Bangladesh. When it is Monsoon season, his mother must cook over a fire indoors. This produces a lot of smoke, which is making his Amma and his baby sister sick. Iqbal wants to do something to help...but what? A clean, gas burning stove is too expensive. Luckily, a school science fair (with a cash reward) is the perfect opportunity to find a solution.
Iqbal and his Ingenious Idea introduces readers to a problem face by many around the world, but one which they probably aren't familar with. Iqbal and his sister work hard on their science project and come up with a simple but effective solution. I loved the illustrations, they were bright and full of detail. At the back of the book there are step-by-step instructions for making your own solar oven, as well as information about the benefits of using a solar oven.

Iqbal and His Ingenious Idea will be a wonderful addition to any classroom library. Iqbal lives in Bangladesh and is challenged by his school to submit a science fair project under the theme of sustainability. Iqbal chooses to create something that will positively impact not only his family, but the whole city. The illustrations are wonderful, and I love the additional content in the back of the book.

Iqbal needs and idea for his science fair project. After watching is mother cook over a stove inside and inhale its fumes, he decides to create a solar stove and use the funds from winning to buy a propane stove for monsoon months. The end notes include information on how to create your own solar stove.
An inspiring story about how a school assignment changes a family’s life.