They Call Me River

by Maciek Albrecht

Overview

A moving story about a river and the cycle of life, from raindrop to ocean

In this beautiful and moving tribute, a river is born and carried along. It plays, sparkles, grows, moves.
It rushes, falls, is still. It carries. And when a river reaches the sea, it becomes it, and then it rises up into the sky, rains down, and begins again. Not unlike life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944903961
Publisher:	Cameron Kids
Publication date:	04/13/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	363,417
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 11.75(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Maciek Albrecht is the founder of Magik Animation Studios and an award-winning producer of animated films for Sesame Street, Scholastic, and HBO, including the Classical Baby series (Art, Music, Dance, and Poetry). His animated films for children have won numerous awards worldwide, such as the Annecy Award for best feature Close To You, the Peabody Award, and four Emmy Awards.

Editorial Reviews

02/22/2021

“I begin as rain.” Albrecht follows a narrating river from its origin to the ocean with simple, songlike writing and striking artwork. In its early meandering, it amuses itself as a child might: “I play with fish. Chase dragonflies.” Then it gathers momentum, “twisting, spinning, splashing, roaring. I am wonderful and wild.” The river hurtles through the countryside; becomes, briefly, a thundering flood; then passes a city on its way to the ocean, where the cycle starts again: “And then, drop by drop, I return to the sky.” Mixed-media artwork combines patterned swatches in a single plane, producing dynamic tapestries of color and texture. Small humans seen by the riverside give a sense of scale, shrinking as the river grows larger and the view pulls back. The endless motion of the water creates a paradoxical sense of activity and calm, carrying readers along in its strong, steady current. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-03-02
A river is born and carried along, from source to sea, where the cycle will begin again.

Striking painted-and-collaged artwork depicts the long journey as the river itself narrates its story, beginning as rain high above in the mountains. Then it tumbles along over stones, through towns, getting ever bigger, “testing [its] boundaries,” merging with other rivers, encountering obstacles and quiet places, until eventually it “meet[s] the great ocean” and “become[s] one” with it. “And then, drop by drop, / I return to the sky. / And I begin again….” Children will quickly notice that though it’s not mentioned in the text, another parallel and similar story is taking place alongside the river’s story in the illustrations. Beginning at the foot of the mountain where the river begins, a human life is also starting. First depicted as a White-presenting babe in arms, the child is seen growing, testing boundaries with a thrilling leap into the river, in due course getting married, encountering obstacles and places of respite, until eventually, just as the river remarks, “There is more of me behind than ahead.” This now-aged adult is last seen in a tiny boat with sea life teeming beneath. “I’m grateful. I let go.” In his debut as an author, Albrecht, an award-winning producer of animated films for children, presents a gentle and approachable view on life and mortality.

An affecting metaphor for the cycle of life. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews