Big Day on the River - Hardcover

Wilson, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805067876 ISBN 13: 9780805067873

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2003

Synopsis

A little girl looks forward to her first solo raft ride on the river, but her well-meaning relatives don’t want to leave her alone.

At dawn, Willie danced her way to the river, joyful to be alone and grinning ear-to-ear.
“Yow-eee!” she shouted. “My first day out on the Wallawatchee, and nobody’s here to tell me what to do or how to do it!”

Willie can’t wait to take her raft out on the river for the first time. Her loving relatives want her to have a wonderful trip, so they load the raft with everything she might need: watermelons and lemonade, sun umbrellas and warm blankets, and even a camp stove. There’s hardly enough room left for Willie!

But this resourceful girl isn’t about to let anything sink her plans—not even her wonderful family. She’ll have her own riotous river adventure yet!

Bestselling author Sarah Wilson has created an irresistible story about a spunky little girl’s first steps toward independence.

About this title

About the Author:

Sarah Wilson is the author, and sometimes the illustrator, of many books for children, including Love and Kisses. She lives in Danville, California.

Randy Cecil has illustrated a number of children’s books about spunky little girls. He lives in Houston, Texas.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-"Skinny-legs-tall" Willie dances her way down to the Wallawatchee, looking forward to a day alone on her raft on the river, but she doesn't count on the overzealous love of her many family members, who appear at the dock one by one. They bring her "a bumpy bag of apples," "a huge plump watermelon," "an umbrella as tall as a beanpole," "a scratchy-looking blanket," her bicycle, and much, much more. All of this, combined with Cousin Clyde's cannonball dive onto the raft, leads to the inevitable, and the girl has to tell her family, very nicely, "All I really need- are your hugs, your kisses, and your very best wishes!" Wilson's cheeky text sings, aided by the excellent use of alliteration ("The day was a dazzle") and colorful figures of speech ("The watermelon was heavier than a full-grown raccoon in a washtub"). Cecil's gouache illustrations, crowded with smiling, amiable folk wearing neat overalls and aprons, capture the comedy and down-home charm of this tale and its lovable characters. A pitch-perfect picture book.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0805067876
• ISBN 13: 9780805067873
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Cecil Randy