River Story - Hardcover

Hooper, Meredith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763607924 ISBN 13: 9780763607920

Publisher: Candlewick, 2000

Synopsis

Through text and illustration, children follow a river and the lives it touches while on its path from the source, a mountain spring, to the end, the open sea.

About this title

About the Author:

Meredith Hooper has written over fifty books, on everything from pyramids to aeroplanes. This book is based partly on a river that flowed past her garden, and partly on rivers she has seen on her travels in many other parts of the world. Bee Wiley has created artwork for books, magazines, even CD covers. With this book, she says, the flow of the river (starting as a trickle, then gaining speed and collecting things on its way to the sea) is like the flow of teamwork that went into making River Story.

From Publishers Weekly:

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 in the mountains to the sea. Hooper's (The Pebble in My Pocket) lyrical use of language emulates the rhythms of the river. Beginning with the languid, soothing sounds of alliteration ("a small shining stream slipping over pebbles"), the narrative picks up the pace as the river gains momentum at a waterfall ("snowfalls of water,/ springfuls of water,/ streamfuls of water"), then quiets down as it leaves the mountains ("It winds between meadows, long strands of waterweed streaking its surface") before its final arrival where "waves wash sand, and fresh water meets salt water." Willey (The Golden Hoard) adds a good measure of child appeal. For a spread that allows readers to peek beneath the water's surface, "little fish darting, bottles dropped, treasures lost," she shows a beloved toy airplane beached on the river bottom. Her palette and line seem especially suited for these riverside views, from the slender reeds of a cattail to a sandpiper's beak to the water itself, as it gushes and crashes, ripples and flows downriver. Ages 5-8. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Candlewick
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0763607924
• ISBN 13: 9780763607920
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Willey Bee