River Story

by Meredith Hooper, Bee Willey (Illustrator)

Overview

“A luscious blend of cool blues and verdant greens lights up the pages of this poetic picture book, which traces the course of a river from its source.” — Publishers Weekly


Follow a river from its beginnings as a mountain stream formed from melting snow, as it rushes over rocks and through valleys to the busy city, and finally to its end, where it joins the sea.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536221640
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Meredith Hooper is an historian by training and the author of many books, ranging in subject from Antarctica to aviation, from the history of water to the history of inventions. She says the river in this book is based in part on one that flowed past her garden, but that it mostly reflects "the strong-flowing big rivers of America, the fast, turbulent rivers of the Swiss Alps, the wide city rivers of Europe, and the meeting of river and sea that happens all over the world." She adds, "I like to travel!"
 
Bee Wiley has illustrated many books for children. She says the process depicted in River Story (water appearing at the source, trickling, gaining speed, and collecting things before finally reaching the sea) parallels the flow of teamwork that went into making the book. "It is one of those books that has really forged its own life, which I hope will translate to readers."

Editorial Reviews

Trickling, bubbling, swirling, rushing, a river flows down from its mountain beginnings, past peaceful country and bustling city on its way to the sea. Hooper (The Drop in My Drink, 1998, etc.) artfully evokes the water's changing character as it transforms from "milky-cold / rattling-bold" to a wide, slow "sliding past mudflats / looping through marshes" to the end of its journey. Willey, best known for illustrating Geraldine McCaughrean's spectacular folk-tale collections, contributes finely detailed scenes crafted in shimmering, intricate blues and greens, capturing mountain's chill, the bucolic serenity of passing pastures, and a sense of mystery in the water's shadowy depths. Though Hooper refers to "the cans and cartons / and bits of old wood" being swept along, there's no direct conservation agenda here (for that, see Debby Atwell's River, 1999), just appreciation for the river's beauty and being. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews