River of Life - Hardcover

Miller, Debbie S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395967902 ISBN 13: 9780395967904

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2000

Synopsis

As the seasons change, a river in Alaska reveals its remarkable biodiversity. A great web of life is presented—the river and its shores sustain an astonishing variety of plants and animals. The river is home: salmon fry and rainbow trout live in it, plankton drifts in its current. The river is food: bears and bald eagles catch salmon, big fish chase little fish, tree roots absorb the river water. This evocative nonfiction picture book follows a year in the life of this Alaskan river. The lyrical text and lush paintings introduce young readers to the sights and sounds of the river and its inhabitants and are rich in details certain to fascinate ecologists of all ages.

About this title

About the Author

Debbie S. Miller is the author of several nature books for children. She has followed and explored many of Alaska's wild rivers and was inspired by the great diversity of life along these waterways, writing with the hope that readers might better understand, appreciate, and protect rivers near their own homes.
 

Review

"Beginning and ending in winter, this elegant book traces the seasonal changes of an Alaskan river. The descriptive text, filled with peaceful imagery, reveals the life the river supports and its interconnectedness. A small boy observes the drama of wildlife—the moose knee-deep in the river, a kingfisher swooping for salmon, a red fox scavenging along the riverbank—against a backdrop of spruce, cottonwood, birch, and willows. He builds a snowman by the frozen river, pokes at ice floes in the spring, fly-fishes in the summer, tosses leaves in the fall. Van Zyle, who is the official artist of the Iditarod, brings all the activity to brilliant life in his realistic oil paintings. Not unlike Thomas Locker’s Where the River Begins (1984), this book reveals the vibrancy of the natural world. The useful glossary is worth reading for the curious facts it contains—male juncos sound like a jangling telephone, 32,000 brown bears live in Alaska, and more."

Booklist, ALA

"An ecology lesson made beautifully simple." Kirkus Reviews

"The art is quite eye-catching and is nicely complemented by the poetic text." School Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0395967902
• ISBN 13: 9780395967904
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Van Zyle Jon